Fathoms
by localsportsteam
Summary: She had given up everything for a chance at humanity. Eric knew this. She had been human for 6 days (well, five and a half). Eric knew this. She had an insatiable curiosity and yearning for new places and things. Eric knew this. He should've been watching her more closely. Eric didn't know this.
1. Chapter 1

She'd been human for six days (well, five and a half), speaking for three. She didn't know her new world yet, and she didn't process the danger. Eric knew this. He knew her nature; a curious disposition matched only by a fire for new ideas, paths, concepts. He knew this.

So he watched her. Eric would guide her up mountains, accompany her on trips to town and around the kingdom. Ariel would grab his arm and pull him into new places, smiling, laughing – she could laugh now! – and bombarding him with endless questions.

"What's this?"

"Where are we?"

"Why do they wear that?"

"Why is this so sharp?"

"Why does this taste like that?"

"Where are we _now_?"

He never felt fully at ease until sundown, because that's when they'd pack up and get in the carriage to return back to his castle. They'd eat and lounge, and she'd be safe. He wouldn't dream of telling her that they couldn't go out, or forcing her to stay back, but she threw herself into anything and everything so relentlessly that he feared she'd one day crash. Hurt herself, or worse.

One morning, he awoke with this sickening feeling that something bad was going to happen. It was early, not even sunrise, and he rolled out of bed and plodded down to her room. She was twisted in her sheets, arm flung over her eyes, pillow spotted with drool. Nothing bad there.

He must've made more noise than he thought, because she stirred and awoke groggily. "Whosthere?" she slurred, rubbing her eyes.

"Oh, uh, sorry." Eric smiled sheepishly.

She perked up almost instantly. "Eric! You're up early."

"I guess." He admitted. "Wanna just hang around the castle today? I know you've got a lot you want to see, but I'm sure you're getting tired."

"If you want. I haven't been swimming in, you know, days." Ariel giggled. "I think I'll always miss it, even though this situation," she winked at him, "is preferable."

"Sounds good." Eric smiled. "I guess we'll go in a bit." He turned on his heels and started to walk away, like he was going to go back to bed.

"Oh, I don't think so!" Ariel laughed, lightly pushing herself out of bed. "Up! Up! We gotta do stuff!"

"You're going to kill me, you know that, right?" Eric smiled at her.

"Well, you never seem to mind."

Eric assured her he'd be back in fifteen minutes, when she was decent, and they'd head down to the beach before the rest of the kingdom had even awakened.

Ariel waded into the water, gathering her lilac skirts up around her knees, and sighed. The water was still just a perfect temperature to her. Where Eric shivered and stayed shallow, she continued wading out and sinking deeper into the lapping waves.

"I don't know how you can do that." Eric chuckled.

"It's natural to me." She snickered. She tried to lay on her back and float, but found that she sank a little bit more quickly than she had anticipated. "Oh! _That's_ different."

"You gotta be more careful now!" Eric had sat down on the beach and removed his boots to stick his feet in the water. "I'll re-teach you how to swim."

"Okay!" Ariel exclaimed, standing up, and finding herself to be up to her shoulders in the water.

"In a bit!" Eric yawned, laying down on the dark beach. "Give me an hour to get a bit more rest." He laughed. "I should know better than to get you up early, you have more energy than anyone in the world."

Ariel looked out at the castle in front of her, and smiled to herself. A little to her left was the very rock she had perched on after she had saved Eric. As if she could've forgotten it! He wouldn't know what she was talking about. The two times she had sat on it, he had either been unconscious or semi-conscious.

She looked back at him. Even now he wasn't doing much better! Sleeping on the beach, his chest rising and falling slowly. "Eric!" she called out. He didn't stir.

Chuckling, she wadded her way over to the rock. The water got a little higher, lapping at her nose, and Ariel found herself hopping over in order to get a precious breath before bobbing below the water again.

She felt less sure of herself in the water now, constantly short of breath. But she reached the rock and latched onto it. She pulled herself up and tried to get a footing, but she wasn't sure where her foot was supposed to go – and what of her other foot? Where does she –

"ERIC!" she screamed out, slipping suddenly and smacking her head on the side of the rock.

She fell into the water unconscious and bleeding, bobbing facedown.

Eric sat up suddenly and spotted Ariel slowly sinking. He raced into the water and swam out to her. How did she get so far out? It only took him a couple minutes to get to her, but he didn't think it was soon enough. He pulled her back to shore and laid her on the beach. Why wasn't anyone else out yet? Was she breathing? He felt for a pulse. She wasn't.

"Hold on, Ariel…hold on.." He tried to force the water out of her system, but she wasn't coughing up. "Here, no, please…"

"No..no…" he picked Ariel up and ran her back to the castle. There was a nurse on staff, and he woke her up.

"What's the matter, sire?"

"She fell in the water, she isn't, she's not, I tried-"

The nurse had Eric lie her down on the bed and thumped Ariel's chest and back. She kept listening for breathing and re-adjusting Ariel.

"Is she going to be okay?"

"How long ago did she stop breathing?" the nurse asked quickly, still trying to force the girl's heart back to beating.

"Five minutes? Ten? I don't know?" Eric said hurriedly.

The nurse stopped once she heard. "I'm sorry, Eric."

Eric's heart dropped through the ground.

"I can't get her to breathe again. Even if I could, at this point she'd be brain dead. A person can't go that long without oxygen." The nurse said softly. "My sincerest condolences."

Eric felt his breath come out shakily. "No, it can't be…it just happened so fast. I-"

The nurse laid a hand on Eric's arm. "I'm so, so sorry."

Eric looked down at Ariel's body, as it already had begun to pale. He couldn't save her this time. If only he knew what happened when her kind die.

**Hi, guys. I don't really intend for this to be a one-shot, and if you don't want it to be either, please review! Know that there's people who are actually reading what I write really means a lot. Even if it's only a few lines long, it really keeps me going! Review please!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A HUGE thanks to reviewer Axantur who gave me arguably the most effective and in-depth review I've ever gotten on any story. It was a highlight of my day and the reason why this chapter got up so quickly! Reviews really do mean a lot!**

…

It didn't feel right, dying. Well, there's no way Ariel could know what dying would feel like, but she always thought it'd be serene, pain-free, healing. But she still felt that throbbing pain just to the side of her temple, the almost concave pressure on her ribcage, and the aches in her perpetually sore feet. She didn't quite feel dead.

She didn't feel alive either. If she was alive, in any form, she knew she'd be with Eric. Instead, she sat in a phosphorescent room, seemingly alone.

"Hello?" she yelled. "HeeEEEllllooOOOoo?" she called out even louder.

"Impatient! Impatient! No need to yell, it echoes around here, you know. And most people need a few moments to adjust." A small woman, in heavily draped robes, slid out of an opening Ariel hadn't even noticed. The woman smiled at her, and lightly grabbed her hand.

"Around here? Where _am_ I?"

"Well, darling, you had a terrible accident-"

"_This_ is Heaven?"

"Not exactly." The woman tapped Ariel's hand lightly. "But I can explain."

Ariel bit her lip and scooted in. "Okay."

"You see, Heaven in very cut and dry, typically. Good merpeople go to Heaven, bad merpeople go to Hell, and that decision is made by Poseidon. Good people go to Heaven, bad people go to Hell, and that decision is made by God. You have fundamentally changed yourself. You were born and had lived as a mermaid, and you became and lived as a human. You, my dear, are not so cut and dry."

"So…I don't get to go anywhere?" Ariel felt a sob catch in her throat. She hadn't done anything wrong! Was she doomed to a life of flatness, of nothing? Doomed to never be tortured, but never be rewarded? To never feel pain, nor ecstasy?

"Well, you are somewhere. You are in your purgatory, and all creatures who fundamentally change themselves must pass through here." She chuckled a little, as if laughing at a joke only she knew the punchline to. "So strange to think of your predecessor as well."

Ariel furrowed her brow together. "What do you mean?"

"Let's not get into that. As I was saying, any creature, whether mermaid, human, beast, fairy, or what have you that changes what they fundamentally are, must pass through this purgatory in order to decide their fate, a niche arguably fortunate for a young lady who died so tragically before her time."

"Does this mean I can go back? To Eric?" Ariel sat up excitedly. "Oh please, I'll do anything to – "

"My dear, please! Steady, darling, I shall explain everything. You'll only excite yourself if you jump to conclusions, and you may not wish to have hurt your heart so."

_Does this mean there's no chance I'll ever see him again?_ Ariel thought to herself, knowing that saying so would only delay the woman's (creature's?) explanation.

"You have three paths you may take, all derived from your original sea state of being. The first is that you remain in this sort of purgatory. You, as a former mermaid, will become seafoam, and you shall drift around the earth, never knowing pain. You may be near those you love, but you shall not affect them beyond what you already have. The second, you shall become a caregiver for lost souls in the mer-world. You will be bestowed with heavenly ability to fix, and hellish ability to destroy, and you may choose how to spend eternity: helping or hurting. The third is more of a nuance on the second. Again, you shall become a caregiver for these souls, but if you capture the soul of the person who wronged you the most, you may take the form you most wish."

"Like, a human? I could pick up where I left off? As a sixteen year old me?" Ariel asked quickly, trying to process all the information laid out in front of her.

"If that's what you desire. You would live out the rest of your life naturally, aging and acting like any other human would, and upon your death, you would be judged by God." The woman said.

Ariel smiled, pushing back her bangs. A second chance! "This 'caregiver of lost souls' – I'm not sure – what would I do? So I get magical powers and do what?"

"You have the ability to give people the boost they need, but never a permanent solution. Any potion you make, whether for yourself or for another, can only last three days. In fact, I believe you yourself received help of the sort."

"So…I'd be a sea witch?"

"If that's what you'd like to refer to yourself as, then yes." The woman chuckled in the same way as earlier. "The rules of your powers are simple and finite. You have the vast powers of Heaven and Hell, but in a limited timeframe. Whatever changes, disguises, or powers you create can only last three days unless the one bestowed upon makes them permanent, in whatever conditions you outline. Magic is wearing on the receiver, so it is unwise to use it on a person, or yourself, often. You do not have the same powers to use on yourself as you do for others, you may only disguise or change the form you take, and even that will only last until sundown. You may charge a fee, of whatever sort, for your services, you also may choose not to."

"And I become human again by being a sea witch, and taking the soul of the one who has most wronged me? Who is that?"

"Oh, you don't know?" The woman's eyebrows shot up. "Most every creature that's ever come through here has known without hesitation."

"Well, only living people still have souls within them, right? So it'd have to be the person or merperson, alive, that's done me the most harm?"

"That's right."

"Well, I'm sorry, but I simply don't know. How do I figure it out?"

The woman sighed in pity. "Don't worry, darling. I'll grab you something that will help." She left the way from which she had come, and returned a few moments later with a bottle of purple-ish sludge.

"What is that?"

"You'll drink it every night, at sundown."

Ariel crinkled her nose. "It doesn't look very pleasant."

"That may be true, but that's not the point. It will help you figure out whose soul you need. It's the story of someone that might be able to help you. She had a very clear idea as to the soul she needed."

"Who is it?"

The woman smiled. "You'll see. Now, I'm assuming you choose option three?"

Ariel nodded, clutching the bottle. _I'll come back to you, Eric._

"Well, then drink this." She held out a small bottle of yellow liquid. "It will take you where you need to go."

Ariel gulped the drink down in one sip, then braced herself as wave after wave of pain tore through her body. It had to be worth it, oh, it just had to be.

…

Is it possible to die while one is still living? Death had to be no more than a sensation, and no one on earth truly knew how it felt. It might be a hollowness, a sucking-out of life, of light, of love.

If any of such rang true, then Eric was dead.

It was late afternoon of the day his love had drowned, and Eric had not spoken, had not moved, aside from plodding back down to the beach and sitting upon the sand. Looking out at the sea, he wondered how the thing he loved the most could possibly claim the person he loved the most? What forces could find that funny? What god could be amused?

Both Grimsby and Carlotta had come out to him, Grim to ask about any funeral arrangements, but Eric had not replied. Carlotta tried to reassure him, but only ended up crying herself. Eric couldn't bring himself to do even that. _It just can't be real, there's no way._ Any moment now he'd be waking up, waterlogged, with Grimsby going on about "sadistic strains on his blood pressure" and "no longer carrying fireworks on ships". He'd mention a red-headed girl and get laughed off, again. She wasn't real, she wasn't real, she wasn't real.

She was. Eric knew that even his own mind couldn't have created another being so perfect for him. So genuine, adventurous, renewing. Someone who brought out life and appreciation in a way he had almost forgotten how to. You can't imagine a person that makes your heart flip over, or your brain go fuzzy. You can't imagine the sensation of your ribcage feeling tighter, feeling almost confining because there's too much love inside of you that wants to come out. She was real.

And he didn't even get a week with her. Eric had always considered himself a more practical sort of man, and he had spent months around other princesses, other women, without feeling even a shred of what he felt for Ariel. Up until a few days ago he didn't think it was possible to fall in love, _true_ love, so quickly. These things were supposed to take time! He wasn't supposed to love her so deeply, so quickly. Losing her wasn't supposed to hurt this badly. Not this soon.

What he wouldn't give to see her one last time? To once more be part of her world?

**Again, as I sort of said above, reviews are wonderful! They're so motivating, and they're why y'all got two chapters in one day!**


	3. Chapter 3

She had only been here once before, and was never quite eager to return. Ariel had awoken only moments earlier in a dark cavern, which itself seemed to be somehow both alive and dead. It seemed that any moment now it would swallow her whole, but yet ominously brooded like death. Did she have to stop calling it Ursula's lair, if it was hers now?

Still clutching the bottle of purple sludge, she tried to get her wits about herself. She had her tail back! She looked the same that she had a week ago, teal scales and all. The cavern seemed larger on the inside, with twists and turns: little rooms, hanging shelves, cabinet after cabinet of potions and elixirs.

Sitting on a mantle, far towards the back of the cavern, was a large spell-book. Well maintained, yet clearly used, it contained tiny labeled recipes for every potion under the sun. How she wished that she could simply make herself human again, give herself the three day time limit! It would be the simplest of tasks to get Eric to kiss her now. But she had a much harder road ahead, and miles to go before she slept.

So she tried the next best thing. If she could not return to Eric fully yet, then she could at least see him. She did have the ability to disguise or transform herself, at least, until sunset. A few more hours as a human wouldn't be enough, but it'd be a start.

The bottles were labeled, thank Poseidon, and Ariel quickly got to mixing, leaping back whenever the basin would spit back at her. Every minute she spent making this potion was a minute she didn't get to spend ashore, and that simply would not do.

Ariel stalled for a moment. What of her family? Her father, her sisters…they weren't even aware that she had died. Should she tell them the situation? Was there any way they could help? No, she ultimately decided. This was not a permanent state, she would be human again, alive again, soon enough. No need to put her family through any stress they didn't need to know about. She'd spare them this.

And what of Eric? What state would he be in? He would be heartbroken, and she was prepared for that. But would he even believe that she was standing in front of him? Would she be able to get his attention? He would probably have a heart attack if she just snuck up behind him, but what else was she supposed to do? It would be up to luck, to fate. She supposed she could work with that.

Ariel looked down at the basin once all the ingredients had been mixed, and fetched an empty bottle. Filling it with the liquid, she remembered how she almost drowned the first day she became human, and how she probably would've died were it not for Flounder and Sebastian. But they weren't here to help her now, and she had to be smarter. She swam out of the (her?) cavern and up to the very same infamous rock. It was, if nothing else, a landmark now.

Eric was there! Sitting on the beach, slumped over and tracing circles in the sand, he seemed intently focused on something, but she wasn't sure what.

"Eric!" she called out, but the winds were whipping about and she wasn't sure he heard. He didn't look up, so she assumed no he had not.

She slipped below the waves again and swam closer to shore. The water around her had to be about two feet, and she was sure she could wade back to shore now if she drank the potion. So she did just that, pulling the cork out with her teeth and gulping it down. Turning human again felt just as bad as it did before, even if this time was only temporary.

On her fourth human day, Eric had taken her to a field of gorgeous wildflowers, for Ariel had never seen anything like them. She rolled amongst them and tore them out of the ground, pressing them to her chest as if enough force could tattoo the smell and sensation onto her soul. She had ventured too far later in the afternoon, and a cluster of barbed weeds and pokey plants was waiting for her. They snagged onto her dress, her hair, virtually anything they could. Back in the castle, she must've spent hours trying to sit still while Carlotta and Eric worked to pull them off of her, all the while biting her lip so that she would not cry out. The sensation of her tail splitting felt like pulling barbs out of her skin.

On her second human day, Eric had taken her out on that lovely row about the lake. She could almost physically feel herself falling more deeply in love; it felt like riptides across her skin. She remembered how it felt to be suddenly overturned and plunge into the lake, that sudden inability to breathe, the cold pressure against her skin. The feeling of her gills closing felt like being flipped over once more.

Returning to her truest form felt rough and raw, it rang with the same perceptions and sensations she would never quite forget, and never stop experiencing. Turning human felt, well, human.

Like a knee-jerk reaction, she had thrashed in the shallows, trying to right herself once more. Gasping for air and pushing herself up, she certainly made her share of noise. This caught Eric's attention.

_There's no way. There's absolutely no way_ Eric thought. He had watched her die, held her cold form. She was in the morgue right now, she could not be emerging from the water, caked in sea foam. That did not stop him from sprinting to her, thoughts still pounding. _No way. No way. No way._

He was at her side more quickly than he had ever been, helping her up. Her skin was warm and wet and she was smiling up at him, as if nothing had happened. As if everything had been some horrible nightmare, and she was just wading in, completing day six as a human.

"Ariel, are you-? Can you? Ariel-"

"It's me, I promise!" Ariel nodded, tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

"You must be so, so cold-" Eric pulled off her shirt and slid it over her, chuckling a little when he saw that it fell to her knees.

"I can explain, it's all so - so _odd_" Ariel laughed a little, wiping the tears with the sleeve. "But we have to sit down, somewhere secluded. No one can know I'm here. No one can see me. I can't explain to the whole kingdom, at least, not yet."

"Of course!" Eric said, smiling so wide he could feel his cheeks hurting. He swept her up in his arms, pressing her close, and carried her back safely to shore.

He didn't even fully put her down, but rather sat down in a shaded and shrubby part of the beach and slid Ariel onto his lap, arms still locked around her. He leaned back on some rocks, and continued smiling up at her.

"I'm so glad to be back." Ariel smiled, entwining her arms around his neck.

"You think _you're_ glad! Ariel, I never want to lose you again!"

Ariel bit her lip, and felt her heart sink. She didn't want to have to break his heart again. "But I have to go again."

"What?" Eric furrowed his brow. "Already? Why?"

Ariel took a deep breath, and began to rehash the whole ordeal. When she finished, she was finally able to notice that Eric had been drawing her closer and closer the whole time, and now she was practically speaking into his ear, with her head resting on his shoulder.

"I guess, I mean, it's better than losing you for good." Eric sighed. "I can't believe this is happening. Never, in my wildest dreams, would I believe any of this. Finding you, almost losing you, now this…it's so much."

"Eric, I'm so sorry all of this is happening, but I know I can find this person, whoever they are."

"…and take their soul? How do you even do that?"

"I'm not sure. But I got a potion that's supposed to help me find whoever they are, and there's books upon books in the cavern. One of them has to explain soul-taking. If Ursula could figure out how to do it, I'm sure so can I."

Eric smiled a bit at that, but his expression darkened when he looked out at the water. "The sun is starting to set."

Ariel gasped. "Oh no! I hadn't even noticed, I've just been so caught up in…everything."

Eric laughed without humor. "It's been a hell of a day."

"And you can't tell anyone!" Ariel insisted. "Not the kingdom, not my family, not Carlotta or Grim! I have to fix all this first, we can't be telling people already. If they find out, it's just more pressure and involvement and more to manage. This is already too much, I can't add more."

"Well, Grim and Carlotta know you died. How are we supposed to explain that you came back to life?"

"I guess the same way we explained that I was a former mermaid." Ariel giggled. "Just, try and keep everything as under wraps as possible. I'll work as hard as I can to get back, I promise. And I'll come see you every day, as early as I get up. Wait for me out here when the sun rises, we can spend time together until you'd be missed."

Eric nodded, and squeezed her tighter.

"I have to go."

"I know."

They walked back to the water together, and Eric tilted her face up to kiss her goodbye. Ariel waded back into the water just as the sun began to slip beneath the horizon, and he watched as she turned back into a mermaid, reveling in how he could still feel her warmth on his skin.

…

**Reviews, like always, are wonderful and appreciated! **


	4. Chapter 4

Ariel found herself swimming and twirling in circles as she returned to the cavern. Turning back into a mermaid didn't hurt nearly as much, it was more a slight tingle, but she still couldn't wait until sunrise when she could have her feet back, and see Eric again.

The purple sludge bottle was waiting for her on the mantle, and Ariel remembered her instructions. A sip a night, and it would help her track down whoever it was she needed to take the soul from. She uncorked it, and sniffed it. It smelled like figs and shrimp, and when she downed a sip, it tasted metallic, like blood.

She faltered back, and fell upon a chair. A scene began to play out in front of her eyes and she found herself transfixed. Everything about the area seemed dated, this must've transpired decades ago. The setting, however, was very obvious. It was the castle she grew up in, in the dining hall she had eaten so many meals in.

_A girl, maybe 18 or 19, sat next a very young King Triton, only perhaps 16 himself. Who, by lack of crown and trident, clearly was not king yet. The girl had a purple tail and shells, with wispy blonde hair and tiny eyes._

_"I'm out of figs, give me some of yours." She stuck her fork onto Triton's plate, but he pushed her hand back._

_"Get more from the kitchen! These are mine." He insisted, scooting his plate away._

_"You're always such an ass, just give me a couple."_

_"No, can one thing be mine? Just one?"_

_"Why are you being so difficult? It's a fig, not your soul. Just give it up!"_

_The girl pushed him back and snatched a few before the plate fell to the floor._

_"Whatever!" Triton exclaimed, standing up. "I wasn't hungry anyway!"_

_"Children!" a well-dressed merwoman entered, sharply clapping her hands. Ariel recognized her as well, she was Triton's governess. There were pictures in albums, and she had thumbed through them periodically, until she got bored. "Your mother can hear you, you mustn't misbehave if you want her to get well. The noise distresses her."_

_"Is mom really that sick?" Triton's forehead crinkled up and he looked over at the girl. "Sis?"_

Ariel found herself taken aback. Daddy had never mentioned that he had a sister, not even once! That's not exactly a fun fact, there's no way he could just forget about a whole other immediate family member! Who was this girl? And why did she look so familiar?

_"Of course not." The girl spat. She bit her lip and paused for a second before continuing. "The royal doctors know more about medical science than anyone else under the sea. Momma is sure to be fine. Now, come on. I have to help you with your homework, don't I?"_

_The two swam quickly to a study alcove, and worked there for perhaps 45 minutes, uninterrupted. Triton struggled with sums, and his sister would walk him through it. "No, no, no. See, you have to look at the percents as fractions, it makes it easier."_

_"This is all so stupid, why do I have to do any of this?" Triton scoffed, pushing the books away._

_"Don't be so hotheaded. Who knows which one of us will get the crown? What if it's you? Even if it isn't, what if you get married off to a queen? If you want to help her rule, you need to look at demographics in order to-"_

_"Whatever." Triton interrupted. "Please, let's just do something else."_

_"You're such a brat." She jabbed Triton in the side and he jumped back. "But-"_

_"Children!" a maid entered this time, waving her hand to usher them close. "Your mother has an exciting announcement!"_

_The two dropped their books and rushed after her, down to the sequestered area of the palace only now referred to as 'the infirmary'. Exciting had a good connotation, and the maid would've been more thoughtful if anything bad had happened, right? Surely she wasn't dying? Surely she wasn't already gone._

_The room had a soft, heavenly glow about it, and it was almost comforting. Almost. _

_"My darlings, come here." A woman, with smallish eyes and strawberry blonde hair, rasped to them. "I have some wonderful news."_

_The two children did as they were told, and the girl was the first to speak up. "What is it, mother?"_

_"There's to be a fantastical feast!" she smiled, and her voice broke. She fell into a coughing fit, and both children stood, slumped, and wondered if there was any way to stop this. _

_"A feast?" Triton eventually asked._

_"Yes, a lovely one. With a purpose, too. You know I never do anything without a purpose." _

_"We know, mum." The girl nodded softly. "What kind of purpose?" _

_The queen broke out into a weak smile. "We're to find you a king, Ursula."_

_The girl's face split into a huge grin. "Mother does this mean-? Do you really-?"_

_"Yes, darling. You will be my heir, when the time should come. You, of course, are expected to find a husband within a reasonable timeframe, but I have no doubts about a lovely young lady such as yourself."_

_"Oh, mother!" Ursula lunged forward to wrap her mother in a hug, but a maid grabbed her arm._

_"She's too frail." The maid whispered, and Ursula settled back, still beaming._

_"The feast shall be tomorrow night. Should you go into the ballroom and banquet hall, you can already see them setting up." The Queen mumbled._

_"Thank you, thank you!" Ursula clapped her hands together. "I love you mother!"_

_The Queen descended into another coughing fit, and the staff escorted Ursula and Triton out of the room so that they wouldn't have to see their mother in this state. The two children were deposited back into their study room, and left alone. Ursula ran her fingers through her thin hair and laughed in disbelief. None of this felt real, it had to be too good to be true! Sure, she always felt she'd be an effective ruler, but the vast majority of the rulers of Atlantica were male! In fact, the only reason mother was ruling was due to father's early death, it just always seemed natural that Triton would've been named king, even though Ursula never would've admitted that to him._

_"There's no way she's serious. The potions must be getting to her." Triton scoffed, folding his arms._

_"Oh, but she is!" Ursula teased. "Face it, I'm going to be queen. Maybe you'll find someone at the ball."_

_"How has she not seen through you?" Triton sneered. "You're manipulative and sadistic, you've always been mean and condescending to me, how can she think you'd be fit to rule a kingdom? It's not even tradition! We both know I was supposed to get the crown, how can you think you'll get away with this?"_

_"Get away with it? I didn't commit a crime, brat. I've been named heir. There were witnesses. I'm sure official documents have been signed."_

_"They can be overwritten. Undone. You'd only ruin the kingdom, I've never been so sure of anything."_

_"Oh, come on. SHUT UP!" Ursula snapped, yelling. "You're a disgusting little brat who can't take that for once in his life, something didn't go his way!"_

_"Be quieter!" Triton said, suddenly very worried. "Remember, noise hurts mom!"_

_"That's just something the nurses say, and you know that." Ursula rolled her eyes. "You know nothing of how things really work. You're sixteen years old, Triton. You're just a child."_

Ariel was yanked out of the vision at that moment; that must've been all the sip gave her. She laid a hand on her décolletage, and felt her heart beating quickly. She had never heard any of this! How did her father fail to mention that Ursula was his sister? Was she really supposed to be queen? That can't be true!

Ariel looked at the rest of the bottle, which was still quite full. Should she simply polish it off? See the rest of the story? There hadn't been an explicit warning against doing so, right? But the purgatory woman had also told her specifically to only take a sip a night, and Ariel could not hurt herself now, not when she was so close to the edge. Not when she was almost back with Eric.

Pushing the cork a little bit further into the bottle, Ariel stuck the potion onto a shelf and closed the cabinet doors. The cavern still felt so foreign to her, and she almost felt as if she was trespassing onto someone else's property. But there was a small nook with a bed and sidetable, and Ariel figured that if she was going to be living here, for however short a period, it should be with some comfort.

Pulling a seaweed blanket around her shoulders, she closed her eyes and tried to force her way through her restlessness, in order to get some sleep before she could have her feet back, and see Eric again.

…

**If you liked it, or if you didn't, feel free to let me know! Reviews are wonderful!**


	5. Chapter 5

Sunlight did not filter down to the cavern, but Ariel was awake by the time the sun peeked over the horizon. She sat down in front of a tiny vanity and tried to fluff her hair up. It didn't work like it did on land, and she only succeeded in forcing it up for only a moment. She supposed it'd be a while before she'd get to see her thick hair fully dried again.

She tried to bring some color back to her cheeks by slapping them lightly, and adjusted her seashells. She wished that she had a dress or something to change into once she got back up onto land. Sure, she loved wearing Eric's shirt, but it'd probably be a nuisance to constantly demand one from him, and she had also grown rather fond of wearing dresses in the six days she had on land.

There was nothing in the cavern that could function as such, so Ariel simply grabbed another vial of the potion and jetted up to the surface, hoping that Eric had thought of her, and would perhaps have a solution.

He had. He was sitting on the shoreline, a lump of forest green fabric in his lap. "I wanted to beat you out here." He smiled at her, wading a couple inches into the water.

"How long have you been out here?"

"Three in the morning? I'm not sure."

"Did you even sleep?" Ariel gasped.

"Kind of? I faked a cold, went to bed around nine. I was a little too excited to sleep, admittedly." Eric smiled, seeming a little proud.

"Have you just been sitting on this beach the whole time?" Ariel laughed a little, instinctually splashing her tail.

"Oh, come on Ariel." Eric said playfully. "You know me better than that."

Ariel raised an eyebrow, but knew he wouldn't tell her anymore. So she uncorked the vial and swallowed today's share, feeling the pain ripple through her petite body. When she finally got her wits about herself, and stopped her head from spinning about, she looked up and saw Eric looking worriedly at her, biting his lip with brow pushed together.

He didn't think he'd ever get desensitized to seeing her in pain, especially pain as peculiar as this. She did not stumble or cut herself, this was nothing he could heel or bandage or in any way unburden her from. All her could do was watch her suffer and hope it'd end speedily. Was it cruel of him to want to look away?

"Are you okay?" he quickly asked.

"Fine, doesn't hurt at all! Only a tickle." Ariel lied.

"Good." Eric let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding.

He could tell she was lying. He didn't need to know her for a long time in order to pick up on her tells. She didn't look him in the eye, she didn't say so with any confidence. But to call her out on such a thing seemed unnecessary and unkind. "Uh, I brought you a dress. It's not that I don't want to give you my, uh, shirt again, of course, but I figured you'd, uh, be more comfortable, I guess." He held out a dress he had grabbed from the seamstress' quarters. He hoped it wouldn't be missed anytime soon. He could put it back (a little wet) in a few hours, anyway.

"Thank you." Ariel pecked his cheek and slid the dress over her head. "Now, tell me what you've worked up!"

Eric smiled and wrapped an arm around her waist. "You'll see when we get there!"

It wasn't far away, and once they were not even halfway there, Ariel knew where they were going. As soon as it clicked, she looked over at Eric and beamed.

"Hey, you could be wrong." He chuckled.

"But I'm not!"

"That's true." He admitted. "I figured we had to make it right."

Eric pulled her out to the same lake he had rowed her around on their second day together. The sun was only just peeking out over the horizon, and most of the fauna was dormant, with the exception of a few croaking frogs, and the rustle of some feathers.

"It's still beautiful." Ariel smiled, taking his hand as he pulled her over to where he had docked the boat.

"I figured we can have the perfect do over." Eric said, helping her in and pushing the boat off the shore. "No scheming eels, you can talk, I'm not a nervous wreck." He laughed a little. "And I know your name this time. It's Ariel."

"Oh I'm glad you mentioned, I was never sure." Ariel giggled.

"This is the most secluded lake the kingdom has, you know."

"Oh?"

"Yeah," Eric continued. "It's on royal land, so commoners aren't supposed to use it. They do, from time to time, and I don't truly care to stop them, but for the most part, it for me and, uh, well, us."

"Lovely." Ariel stretched back and looked at the sky. A blend of pastels, she could still see the moon and watched as the trees disappeared above her to the tugging rhythm of Eric's rowing.

"When you're human again, we can come out here every day, if you'd like."

"Every day?" Ariel sat up and smiled. "I'd like that. We'll keep doing new things, though, right? There's so much I don't know Eric, and I'm not willing to give up on seeing and doing it."

"Whatever you want." Eric smiled, a little tense. Was that a promise he could keep? There were only so many new things about the human world, and though he found himself rejuvenated by Ariel's perception of his surroundings, there were a finite amount of magical places he knew of.

Pulling in the oars and letting the boat drift. Ariel ran her fingertips along the water, sitting up and leaning forward and watching as the droplets off her fingers left ripples along the water. She could see seaweed waving below the surface, and could almost feel it on her skin, the sensation was so normal to her. She wondered if she'd ever get used to any touch in the human world like that.

Eric took her left hand off her lap and threaded his fingers through it, leaning in closer to her. He wanted to ask her if she ever missed her home kingdom. He wanted to ask her if she ever regretting coming here. He wanted to ask if she was only coming back to him out of some sense of obligation. He wanted to ask, if given the ability to live well on her own, if she would leave him in favor of a lifetime of adventures as a human. Though he could not stop these insecurities from racing through his mind, he knew the answers in his heart. With all the confidence he could summon, he pushed them out of his head and chose to forgo words in favor of the action he had wanted to take on their first boat ride.

He pulled Ariel closer to him and kissed her. She lifted her right hand from the water and rested it half on his neck, half on his jawline. He could feel the water droplets running down his neck and dotting his shirt. He could feel her left hand still intertwined with his. He could feel her smile a little bit as she kissed him back. He could feel her, and she was no mystery girl, no figment of his imagination. She was here, and he would do anything to keep it that way.

When they finally broke apart, Ariel could still feel the pressure on her lips, and the hammering of her heart. Eric's thumb ran little circles over her left hand, and he held it still. If there was any sensation of the human world Ariel wanted to imprint forever, it would be this one.

…

**Reviews are splendid, they really make for a great motivation to write!**


	6. Chapter 6

Eric ran back to the palace, he had spent too long with Ariel. He had walked her back, watched as she took a little sip of some sort of remedy potion, and seen her off as she returned to a mermaid form and disappeared beneath the waves. And now he was late. The castle was always up early, with maids and servants moving about to get breakfast together, clean up anything they didn't get to the day before, and generally prepare for the day.

Carlotta and Grimsby, as heads of staff, were up a little bit later, for their staff had been trained well and could, in most cases, function reasonably without them. But even they did not sleep in, and were up before Eric returned to the palace.

"You missed breakfast, dear. A whole omelet gone to waste." Grimsby lightly scolded.

"Oh, sorry Grim." Eric nervously chuckled. "I must've slept in."

"You weren't in your bed, I checked." Carlotta raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, uh, well, I wandered down to the beach early this morning. I sleep better there."

"Yes, you are a fish out of water, Eric. We know." Grim said dryly, patting Eric's shoulder.

Eric chuckled a little at this, to which Carlotta exclaimed. "Why, Eric! That's the first time I've seen you smile since-" she cut herself off sharply. "Well, I must be getting back."

"Though not a graceful transition," Grim wrapped his arm around Eric's broad shoulders. "We do have to talk about, erm, your late, uh-"

"Ariel." Eric finished for him.

"Yes, indeed."

"I don't want to do anything big, Grim. She wouldn't have liked that. A little ceremony, by the sea. I'll do it by myself."

"You seem to have already thought about this, then."

"Too much."

"Ah, you must've had the body moved, then." Grimsby exhaled.

"What?" Eric said.

"Well, when I went to go talk to the coroner, all that was left behind was some seafoam and water droplets."

…

Ariel hated that all she had were mornings. From sun up to staff up, those precious hours would be all she could have of the human world. _At least_, she thought, rolling the purple sludge bottle between her hands, _until I figure out who this person is_. Eagerly, she tore out the cork and took another swig, and felt herself get pulled once again into the past.

_The ballroom was almost fully set up, and the ball was to be happening in a few hours. _

_"No! No!" Ursula yelled, clapping her hands. "Put the tables over there, you're blocking a balcony." _

_"Don't you think you should be quieter? Mom is still sick." Triton said, holding a finger to his lips._

_"Oh Poseidon, you're still going on about that old maid's advice? Noise isn't going to hurt mom, her disease is. And besides, no one said she's getting worse, I'm sure she'll hit a second wind soon enough."_

_"Are you sure?"_

_"Positive. Who throws parties when they're dying?" Ursula scoffed._

_Triton shrugged and slumped forward. "I guess you're right."_

_"Of course I am." Ursula said haughtily. "Unlike these people. Honestly, how hard is it to set up for a party? They're incompetent."_

_"Triton, Ursula." The governess came swimming up to the pair. "Aren't you getting ready yet? The ball is in an hour!"_

_"An hour? It takes me five minutes to get ready! Leave me be." Triton looked away._

_"It's going to take your more than five minutes to shave off that disgusting teenage faux-beard." The governess snapped, causing Ursula to giggle. "Both of you, march!"_

_The two obeyed and retreated to their respective rooms. Ursula already knew what she was going to wear; purple, her favorite color. It was the color of royalty, and one seldom worn by any, save for the more daring merpeople. She pulled her hair up into an arrangement of curls, and threaded pears through them. She painted on the brightest red lipstick she owned, she loved lipstick so. She put on deep blue eyeshadow and eyeliner. Ursula had never worn this much makeup before, if fact, she had never really worn any, but she felt beautiful and grown up and delighted to be in it. _

_Her top was purple seashells, laced up with dyed sea kelp. She clipped on a necklace, a nautilus shell, gilded gold, and she felt ready to head out and greet her many guests and potential admirers._

_"Ursula!" the governess opened her door and swam up to her. "Your mother wants to speak to you quickly, before you head out."_

_Ursula curtly nodded and followed her down to the infirmary. _

_"Yes, mother?" Ursula asked quietly, peeking through the door._

_"Come closer." Her mother rasped._

_"What is it?"_

_"I wanted to make something clear. Whenever you choose a husband, be it tonight or a week from now, you will be announced as heiress right after. Three days after announcement, you are crowned. You may then marry after, or before. The staff is prepared either way."_

_"Thank you, mother." Ursula said sincerely. She wanted to hug her mother, but it didn't seem like a good idea. She swam out of the room, then turned around at the last second. "__**Thank**__ you."_

_Triton was waiting outside the door._

_"Were you eavesdropping?" Ursula spat._

_"I don't know how she can be serious…" he mumbled._

_"You're still on this? Quit it. Honestly."_

_"Ursula, this is a big deal! This is the kingdom! Our family! This is everything. You've never cared about the kingdom. You're looking at this as a stepping stone to have more power, more glory, more riches. You don't actually want to lead. I know you."_

_"What, and you do?"_

_"I do."_

_"You're 16, Triton. Relax."_

_"I'm going to protect the kingdom from you."_

_"You sound like some sort of old prophet. Go back to your room. Some of us have mingling to do."_

_"What, you're going to find a husband?"_

_"Yeah, I am. I'll pick him tonight, and be in line for the throne by tomorrow. And I DON'T CARE what you're have to say on that."_

_Triton pulled the door to mother's room shut. "Stop yelling. Please."_

_Ursula exhaled, as if the request was a huge burden upon her. Clenching her fists and squaring her shoulders, she screamed "NO!"_

...

Ariel shook off the last of the potion, feeling the scene fade away from her. She looked at the diminishing potion, and knew things were about to get bad. Fast.

…

**Keep sending me your theories as to what might happen! I love reading them!**


	7. Chapter 7

She was waiting for him on the beach, legs stuck in the shallows. She had been for hours. Already a human, already dressed, she had arrived early in the morning and was wavering between awake and asleep, often finding her face slipping into the water. The sky was still dark and muted, and a light layer of dew covered everything. She knew he wouldn't come until the sun began to rise, and she didn't expect him to. She just needed these human moments, more than she needed her sleep. She needed them even if she took them alone.

She flipped to her back, reveling in how the sand did not stick to her wet hair, but passed through instead. It was fluffy and frizzy, and absolutely perfect. Six days of this form were not enough. A temporary transformation was not enough. She could not just taste paradise and lose it so easily. She could not have but six days of paradise, of legs and love and absolute perfection. To lose them was to lose everything. To be taunted with the prospect daily was to lose even more.

She arched her back and looked behind her without sitting up. The castle had no lights lit, save for a few candles to illuminate hallways. There were contraptions littering the beach she knew no names for. Her feet, her _feet_, were pruning in the water. The hem of her dress had soaked up the saltwater but it still smelled like soap and cotton. She hummed the bars of a familiar tune. _Part of your world…_

Everything seemed only halfway, the indecisiveness a cruel punishment to whatever sins she must've incurred. Not quite a mermaid, not quite a human. Not quite Eric's friend, not quite his wife. Not quite dead, not really living.

Ariel felt her stomach flipping and twisting, and wasn't sure if it was over stress or excitement. She knew Eric was coming soon, and there was nothing she treasured more than the few hours they had together. But they seemed to be growing shorter and heavier, and falling easily from her grasp. What was three hours felt like one, and could only be remembered in flashbacks, without the heat of touch or the sensation of surprise. It was so much, so wonderful, and more than she thought she'd truly ever have in her life, but it just wasn't _enough_.

"Oh, you beat me today!" Eric called out to her, causing her to start and sit up.

"You know it!" Ariel beamed, pulling herself out of the shallows and running up to greet him. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him close. "You know I miss you so much, right?"

"And you know it's reciprocated?"

"Yeah." Ariel smiled, but noticed his hands were behind his back. "What do you have?"

"I thought you'd want to see this." Eric pulled out a tiny firework and a pack of matches.

"What is it?" Ariel cooed, standing up and coming to admire it.

"It's a firework, I just grabbed it out of one of the prep rooms. We're going to set them off at the-" he stopped speaking suddenly, and held it out for her to admire.

Ariel grabbed it and turned it over in her hands. "At the what?" she prompted.

"Nothing important. So you light this end and it goes off in the sky and explodes. We're not allowed to carry them on boats anymore. Not after, well, you were there. So it took a hell of a lot of effort to get them-"

"At the _what_, Eric?"

"Just forget I said anything. We can probably set off one. If we set off a bunch, someone will wake up and notice-"

"I can't forget, just tell me!"

"It's not even a big deal, I promise. But every year we have this sort of 'Light Festival'. It's just something we put on for the kingdom, just something kind of fun. There's some games and lights, and we set these off. It's nothing."

"It's bigger than that, just tell me."

"Well, yeah, I guess it is kind of big. It has been going on for decades. But you'll see it one of these days."

"So it's a giant, interesting festival the whole kingdom attends, that you knew I couldn't go to, since I have to work through this curse, and you think it's a good idea to bring me one of these little _ughs_", Ariel waved the firework back and forth.

"Guess I didn't think this through." Eric said sheepishly. "Sorry, Ariel."

Ariel exhaled, and could feel her breath wavering in her throat like she was about to cry. _Keep it together. He didn't mean any harm. It's not a big deal. _She examined the little firework, it all its compact, taunting power. A festival. She had never seen one on land. And Eric was downplaying it, like he always did to be polite. _The statue is really something, Grim. It's just an annual festival._

"Ariel?" Eric asked cautiously. "What's wrong?"

_What's wrong?_

"Eric, I hate this so much!" Ariel put her hands over her face. "I'm dead, I'm dead, I _died_! All I got were six days as a human and then I _died_! How is that fair? What did I do wrong? It would've been easier to just pass on like anyone else, but _no_! I have to stay here, where I only get the life I want for a few hours and then it's taken back from me!"

"I'm so sorry, Ariel. I never would've brought it up if I thought-"

"No, ugh! It's not just you, it's not just the firework, it's just everything!" She exclaimed, pushing her hands up her face and into her hair. "I know I shouldn't complain. I still have you, for however short a time, I still have my legs, but Eric, I want more! I can't see my family, my friends, anyone but you until this is sorted out. I can't see new places, new things, unless you bring them to me! All I have is the cavern, and you."

"That isn't…enough? Even knowing it'll be over soon?"

"But, Eric! I don't know that! I could get to the bottom of that potion bottle and only find that I just got some story and false hope! I don't know anything that's going on." Ariel felt tears welling up. "Eric, I gave up my entire life to be here, to be with you. I don't regret it, I've never regretted it. But to leave everything behind, only to find almost everything denied? It's so much."

Eric pulled her tight and just let her cry a bit, the poor girl had certainly been through enough, she deserved a moment's peace.

…

Ariel returned to the cavern wiping tears from her eyes, and was startled to find someone waiting for her.

"Who are you?" She demanded, sniffling and trying to appear unfazed.

A young girl, stout in nature, bit her lip and shrunk back. "Are – are you the Sea Witch?"

Ariel hesitated for a moment. "Yes, yes I am."

…

Eric threw the firework back into the pile and collapsed into a chair, burying his face in his hands. How could he be so _stupid_? Keep reminding her of everything she doesn't have. Great move, Eric. Every day he just struts on down, rubs in her face that he still has the castle, the ability to be out and about, he still has his life and his humanity. His friends and remaining family.

Ever since she had come back, Eric had stopped thinking of her as dead, or in purgatory, or as anything but that same lively, spirited mermaid he knew and loved. She hadn't changed, not completely, but her life was different now, and everything for her was changing so fast. And it wasn't _enough_.

Was he dense to think he was all she needed? Foolish to believe she had yearned more for him than the human world? Did he want to ask? Could he bear to know?

All Eric knew was that he needed to give Ariel more. She deserved that, she deserved everything.

…

**Thanks to all my reviewers, new and old! Y'all are great! Feel free to keep PMing me questions or theories, and the reviews always make my day to read!**


	8. Chapter 8

The young girl couldn't have been older than a preteen. Her face was still round with youth and pale with seclusion. She had probably never seen the surface, or at least not more than once. She seemed nervous, constantly interlocking her fingers together and fiddling.

"You're…you're not an easy woman to find." She chuckled a little.

Ariel shook her head a little. "What are you talking about?"

"You said you were the sea witch."

Ariel was still a little on edge. "Yes, I know. What do you want?"

"Well, hear me out!" she insisted, swimming closer. "My parents think I'm being stupid, and so do all of my friends, but I know I'm in the right here."

Ariel snorted a little. She knew that feeling.

"There's – there's this boy. He's unlike anyone I've ever known. He's perfect. You have no idea."

"Let's talk inside." Ariel looked around. Being spotted by anyone would only cause issue. The girl eagerly agreed and swam into Ariel's cavern, sitting down at the basin and seeming much more secure. She smiled confidently and looked up at Ariel. Someone was going to listen to her!

"Ma'am, I'm in love." She started, wrapping her hands around the edge of the basin and leaning forward. "But I need help, and no one else will do it! I love him, I love him, I swear."

"What's the issue?" Ariel asked, pushing her eyebrows together.

"I've never truly met him." The girl bit her lip and shrunk back, but Ariel did not laugh her off, so she continued. "You might know of him, it's Samuel Salmon."

"The singer?" Ariel said flatly. Everyone knew who Sam Salmon was. A well-crafted pretty boy who dropped his first album roughly two years back. With his flowing blonde hair, bright green eyes, and the fact that he was eighteen with a mentality of a fourteen year old, he was rather popular with preteens.

"Yes, yes!" she got excited and stood up. "He's like, royalty!"

Ariel cringed at this a little, and she wasn't sure why.

The girl swam closer to Ariel and sat down in front of her. "I've seen him before, he has events, and the like, but we've never met, met, y'know? But I've read and listened to everything he's ever said. I know everything about him. He's kind and generous and selfless and sensitive and loving and perfect. I know this, I do!"

"How old are you?" Ariel asked, hesitant.

"I'm 14, practically. In like a month and a half." she bit her lip. "I'm Evelyn, by the way."

"S-sea witch." Ariel stammered, speaking only out of formality.

Evelyn raised an eyebrow. "But I need your help. Make me famous, put me in his world. I need to be a part of it, a part of him. _Please_."

Ariel hesitated. Evelyn seemed almost unreasonable, she was pining after one of the most desired and least available men in the kingdom! She was only a child, it was unlikely she had even ever been in love before! Was it responsible to let this girl go out into the whole new world of the rich and famous, the fast living and prominent? Was it wise to let her romantically pursue a man significantly older than her, especially considering they had never spoken? Was it hypocritical of her to deny the girl?

"Are you…_sure_? That this is what you want?" Ariel asked, slowly.

"More positive than I've ever been about anything." Evelyn said solemnly. "I want to marry him, Sea Witch."

Ariel was uncomfortable at the whole situation, and couldn't fully admit to herself as to why. "What if things don't work out?"

"They will." Evelyn said quickly. "And if they don't, at least I'll know I tried."

Too young. Too foolish. To naïve. She had to be protected.

"I'll do it."

A giant grin spread across Evelyn's face. "Thank you, thank you!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands and bobbing up and down. "Oh, what you've done for me…"

"Here are my conditions." Ariel held up a finger. "I'll make you an overnight sensation, I'm sure I can do it." She stood and swam over to the book, flipping through it wildly. "You will have three days to make him fall in love with you. That is, he has to kiss you. A true love's kiss. If he doesn't, you turn back to your old self, and you must join a sisterhood until you are eighteen."

Sisterhoods were well known throughout the merworld. Groupings of girls, with some sort of common purpose, who lived together, worked together, and grew up together. They were not allowed contact with boys, besides their families, and would stay in the sisterhood until they were done with being trained for whatever it was the group specialized in.

"Done! Done!" Evelyn exclaimed. "Oh, Sea Witch, make me fantastic!"

…

After Evelyn had been handed the potion she left, so Ariel grabbed a bottle of her own. The purple sludge was waning, the bottle and story almost halfway through. It was late at night and Ariel knew she wouldn't be able to sleep until she knew more of the tale, so she gulped a share and waited for it to wash over her.

_Ursula fidgeted with her nautilus shell necklace, biting her ruby lip. This, this was it! As soon as she found a husband, she would be queen! Her stomach was flipping over, but she could feel her heart swelling up in her ribcage and knew something was about to burst._

_The governess came and beckoned to her. Ursula adjusted her hair just a bit more and exhaled to steady herself. She swam up to a large set of double doors._

_"Your mother says 'good luck'" the governess smiled._

_Ursula nodded, and the doors were pulled open._

_"And announcing, Princess Ursula of Atlantica."_

_The people burst out into applause, but Ursula did not startle or shrink back at the noise. She waved eagerly, then brought her arms about herself and settled for smiling and she swam slowly, gracefully down the stairs. _

_"May I have the first dance, Princess?" a stocky merman held out his hand._

_Ursula reached out and took it, accepting._

_…_

_Triton wasn't announced, much to the annoyance of the staff. (He's the son! The second born! It's never been done this way!) He instead sat by his mother's side, resting his hand over hers and speaking softly to her, of things he had done and seen. She chuckled lightly sometimes, but it would always follow with wheezing, through which Triton would sit uncomfortably and then fetch her something to drink._

_"Go, go." She said, trying to move._

_"Keep still, mother. Please don't waste your energy. And no way! I'll spend tonight with you, while Ursula is all out and..ugh."_

_"Go, please." She began coughing violently. "Go!"_

_"No, Mother."_

_"Please." She insisted, looking up at him._

_"Are you sure?"_

_She nodded._

_"You'll send for me if you need anything, anything, right?"_

_She rolled her eye and nodded again._

_"I won't be long, I promise."_

_Triton backed out of the room, watching as his mother smiled at him. _

_"Promise." He called again, leaving the room._

**…**

**VVVV Please review! VVVV**


	9. Chapter 9

_The ball was a fantastic sight, just as it was every time. Triton was constantly amazed at life under the sea, always bowled over by what merpeople did and accomplished. He had been to more than his fair share of balls and gatherings before, but each one was different and incredible._

_The merpeople gathered in groups and conversed excitedly, pointing at Ursula especially. She had never looked so grown up, so beautiful. The boys simply could not wait to dance with her. She couldn't possibly remember everyone she had already danced with, it had to be a dozen by now. A few girls, who didn't have quite the same attention, pouted in the corner, but no one paid them any mind._

_A few were pouting over by the refreshment table and, well, Triton was hungry. He swam over and began filling a plate._

_"Come now, Bitsy. You just have to dance with this nice young man."_

_"Hmph! He asked you."_

_"Yes, but I need some air. Please, I'll consider it a personal favor if you take a dance for me."_

_"Well, fine. But you owe me."_

_Triton looked over at the two conversing girls. 'Bitsy' had just swam off to find her new beau, and her redheaded friend was left standing._

_Triton tossed his plate to the side and approached her. "Uh, if you'd like some company getting some air, I know the way outside, and also count as, uh, company."_

_She snickered a little. "That would be lovely." She nodded, smiling. Lead the way."_

_Triton offered her his arm and swam her toward the prettiest gardens in the palace. Should he tell her he was the prince here, or was that pretentious? Would it help? Did she already know?_

_"And what is your name?" she eventually asked._

_Oh! Right! Talking to her is good! And it was now obvious she didn't know. "I'm Triton. Who are you?"_

_"Princess Athena." She smiled._

_"You're lovely."_

_"Thank you." She plucked a flower out of ground and tucked it into her hair. "As are these gardens! They're so small, how did you know of them."_

_"I, uh, live here. I'm the prince."_

_"Oh, my apologies. I didn't hear you announced."_

_"I came late, I was sitting with my mother."_

_"That's sweet." Athena nodded, unhooking her arm and swimming off to investigate the gardens further._

_"Where are you going?"_

_"Come if you please."_

_Triton shook his head a little, confused, but followed, intrigued. "Are you looking for something in particular?"_

_"Seldom am. Just trying to enjoy everything."_

_"That makes sense."_

_"We have to appreciate what time we have."_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"You ever feel sensations? Little premonitions that let you understand your future?"_

_"Sure, don't we all?"_

_"Don't lie to me, Triton."_

_"Okay, sorry. No, do you? What are they like?"_

_"I can never explain. I just know who I am, and what choices I'll always make. And I how one of them has to end."_

_She swam away, faster and faster, looping through the gardens and plucking flowers, gathering them all up in her arm. Triton tried his very hardest to keep up with her, but she was fast and determined, and seemed to have a better understanding of the loops of the garden than even he did._

_He closed his eyes and swam quickly, trying to rely on instinct alone. Eventually, he crashed into her._

_"You stopped swimming away from me." He stammered out._

_"Well, you kept swimming towards me." She smiled. "Shame, I like you."_

_Triton beamed and felt his heart leap up into his throat and begin to speak for him. "G-great! Let me see you again, tomorrow. Tomorrow morning?"_

_"No, no!" she laughed. "Can't be done. You don't really want to, anyway."_

_"What do you mean? Of course I do!" Triton pleaded. "I know that for a fact!"_

_"Oh, I'll leave you, I'll always leave."_

_"No, you can't possibly know that. Regardless, let's just try. Please, let me see you again."_

_"And what do you want to come of seeing me again? Do you wish to court me? Eventually marry me?"_

_"Well, I don't want to get ahead of myself-"_

_"No, you don't, prince. Do you even know where I'm from?"_

_"Tell me."_

_"I'm the princess of the seventh sea, and I'm the second born. My oldest brother may take a wife of any status, for she will come rule there. I, however, will either stay and protect my kingdom, or marry a king and establish relations. It's politics, you know."_

_"A prince is not too different from a king, I don't think."_

_"Oh, quite the contrary, the distinctions are mass and important."_

_"But you like me?"_

_"You're charming."_

_Triton didn't like to lie. If he made a promise, he would keep it, or at least do everything in his power to. He looked Athena in the eye. "I can become king."_

_…_

_Triton had made another promise earlier than evening, and intended on keeping that one as well. Swimming quickly, almost as quickly as when he was chasing Athena, he swam back to his mother and into her room. _

_He had to convince her to take Ursula off the throne. He had to. Everything, absolutely everything was dependent on it. She was bad for the kingdom, he could apply himself and learn to be a better leader. If he didn't become king, he couldn't become Athena's boyfriend, much less her husband. He wasn't sure how he'd convince her, but he had to._

_He'd persuade, bargain, beg. How could she have made such a poor decision in the first place?_

_"Mother?" he whispered quietly when he entered. _

_She was pale as sea foam, cold as winter waves. She was alive, but barely. _

_"What do you need, son?"_

_And with those five words, he couldn't do it. How could he use his mother's waning weeks to berate her? Question her? Make her feel somehow worse?_

_"I – I promised I'd be back." He said sheepishly._

_"Well then, sit." She smiled, and he took her hand._

_…_

_Ursula felt herself lifted into the air as the tempo picked up, but even once she was placed back down her heart stayed lifted!_

_She had been dancing with one man in particular the whole evening. She had danced with maybe 20, 30 in total, but once the novelty of being so demanded wore off, she sought out someone to get to know._

_"Gregory, don't you grow tired?" she smiled up at him._

_"You give me energy." He smirked back down at her._

_She coyly grinned and looked to the side. Surely, he was the handsomest here, and surely the other ladies must be seething with jealousy. _

_"Even after only a night, I feel like we've gotten to know each other so well." He began._

_"I agree!" she concurred. "Seems as if I have known you for years."_

_"And, word on the street, is that you are seeking a husband."_

_"I cannot deny."_

_"Well, then let us take a walk."_

_Ursula squealed and latched onto his arm as he pulled her out to the nearest gardens. _

_"I confess," he said, kneeling before her. "I have no ring, for I could not be prepared for how you would enchant me. But, should you give me the chance, I would bring you a beautiful one."_

_Ursula grinned, clamping her hands over her mouth to keep from screaming, unknowingly smearing her lipstick over her face._

_"Princess Ursula, would you marry-?"_

_"Yes!" she screamed, jumping up. "Oh, I must send a servant to tell mother, oh Gregory!"_

_…_

_As per Ursula's many-repeated request (No, understand! Go and tell mother it has to be as soon as possible! As soon as possible! Tonight if we can, the ball would be a perfect forum! Make sure she understands! The ball, really push for the ball) the announcement of her coronation and of the marriage would be tonight._

_Ursula stood next to the Royal Announcer, as Gregory rested her right hand over her left, standing silently next to her._

_The Royal Announcer cleared his throat. "As per both tradition and the Queen's request, the heir must select a spouse before assuming the throne. In three days, Princess Ursula shall ascend to the title and power of Queen. Her wedding, to Duke Gregory, shall follow at an undetermined time, though they are currently engaged. Let us congratulate our young royals!"_

_The crowd erupted into cheers. Ursula leaned over to her fiancé. "This is the happiest day of my life."_

_"The happiest day of your life, so far." Gregory smiled back._

_"And here's me, thinking no one could possibly find true happiness in three days."_

_"A rare timetable, but you are a rare lady, Ursula." _

_She beamed and squeezed his hand. Three days!_

_…_

**Review, please!**


	10. Chapter 10

It was surreal, always surreal, to look at her father, her villain, her grandmother in a form she had never seen them. They were in untouchable forms, buried beneath years of time and rust of age. They weren't supposed to be accessed like this again, for better or for worse. It was discomfort gilded with charm. She finally met her grandmother, in such a weakened state. Ursula always pervaded the story, mucking up moments with her disposition and lust for glory.

But she couldn't seem to ruin this one. There was love, raw love. Triton's true nature showed through in a way Ariel could never before understand, just due to the nature of a father-daughter relationship. He must've forgotten this moment, he must've forgotten how to be so soft. Or else he may have been more understanding with Ariel and her love for Eric.

And she saw how her father and mother met! Like how she had just _known_ with Eric, Triton had seemed to _know_ with her mother. Mother, Athena, was ethereal, so hauntingly lovely. A kind of grace accompanied her that could not possibly be learned, it was natural in the sort of unnatural way she existed. How can one mermaid be so ghostly and lively? So all knowing, yet young? She too lived a purgatory.

Ariel mused, what separated her instantaneous love from that of Ursula's? From that of Triton's?

The distinction between her love and Ursula's was as great as Ariel wished the distinction between their lives could be. She had joined Eric for love, Ursula had joined Gregory to get the throne. All she wanted was to be queen, he was just along for the ride. All Ariel had wanted was to be human, but Eric was not just along for the ride, he was part of it.

What she had with Eric was, of course, special. Special in the way all true loves were special. But now she walked a fine line, entertaining dangerous thoughts. Perhaps her Eric was not her world, an important part of it, of course, a part she loved, she loved him so, but even when love died, people continued. Not unscathed, but not unhappy. Without Athena, who Triton had so clearly loved so fully, Triton was perpetually saddened, but he was functioning, he was whole, and he was in his world.

Ariel did not fully have Eric, and she did not fully have her world. She needed them both, and could not consider any more dangerous thoughts on the subject, for the overall manner became so distressing that she had to swim up and break the surface, see the world, see Eric.

…

Eric was up long before they had agreed to meet. At first, he merely paced the halls, praying to not run into the chance servant. _May the sun rise more quickly, may I do today right._ He had to find a way to apologize to Ariel. His initial, and most permeating, thought was that of proposal, but the very thought made his heart leap into his throat with nervousness. _Maybe that was a good sign?_ Regardless, it didn't want the proposal to be an apology, it wanted to be separate an infinite. An indisputable declaration of love, not a bandage solution.

Today, he need only be romantic. He couldn't take her into town, she couldn't be around people. He couldn't bring the Light Festival to her, nor could he bring her to it, and he mustn't, mustn't remind her it was coming up in a few days. He need only be romantic.

Sincerely, of course. But why did this have to be so _difficult_? How was it that feelings that came so naturally somehow compounded and convoluted themselves into gibberish? He said all the wrong things, but felt all the right feelings. Love, mistake, regret. Tonight he needed to break the cycle.

…

The arrived at roughly the same time, Ariel pushing her hair back and struggling into a dress, Eric trotting on down. He acknowledged her, then looked away as she took the potion. She didn't like it when he saw her in pain, and he didn't care to look. He wished, still, that he could help, that she'd even let him hold her (even if that didn't help!) but she insisted that she was fine, that it didn't hurt, and that it was over in a minute anyway.

When two humans, well, a human and a half, arrived to meet each other, an awkward pause hung over them like a foul odor.

"Hey" Ariel began, almost uncomfortably, as if she had nothing else to say.

"I want to take you somewhere, I don't know where, but somewhere."

Ariel smiled a sad smile. "I do." She grabbed his hand and led him down a familiar path. "If nothing else, it's the one place we have left."

The rowboat still rested by the side of the lake, the birds still cawed, fauna was ripening. But all Ariel heard was silence.

"Most secluded place in the kingdom, right?" she laughed without humor, climbing into the boat and letting Eric push it off the shore.

He stepped in once it got floating off and smiled at her. "Right. Just us right now." He dipped the oars into the water and began rowing around, letting Ariel relax and enjoy the water without being a part of it.

She leaned over to the side, forcing the boat to balance more to the left, as she tapped her finger pads on the water, humming softly to herself.

Eric didn't know how to break the silence, and he didn't know if he wanted to. As he rowed, as she drifted, she seemed to return to herself and come to peace. Her forehead wasn't as scrunched up. A soft smile was playing at her lips. Her humming became quicker and brighter as she tapped concentric circles into the lake.

He wanted to make sure that she was okay, that this magnificent burden was not crippling her petite shoulders. The curse was magnified in the sense that it was only hers to break, and whatever reassurances he could offer her had to be given. He only wished he could learn to distinguish between when a reassurance was best give in words, best given in contact, and best given in silence and letting her just be at peace.

"Ariel," he breathed, still basking in the idea that he was on this boat, that he knew her name.

Her eyes raised to him slowly. "Yes, Eric?"

"No, come on, we won't get caught!" the laughter of prepubescent boys rang out, followed by splashes.

They were here, they could see her! Startled, Ariel pushed down to the side too hard and send her own boat flying over. She crashed into the water, and with stinging instinct she tried to breathe, but just couldn't. The kicked her legs and swam like she was always supposed to, breaking through the surface and positioning herself behind the boat.

Eric had grabbed her at this point, and the two towed the boat to a nearby shore.

"They were pretty far away." Eric tried to lighten the mood.

"I know, I know, I panicked." Ariel laughed lightly, but it was insincere and her voice wavered.

She had tipped, it had broken. Those stupid boys had come barreling in and ruined everything. There was no space of the human world that was solely hers – there was no place left to go. Nothing was sacred, and nothing was left. She was now confined to where the ocean could touch her body. The water, the shore. She could not roam, explore, adventure. She was a purgatory, but imprisoned as a mermaid. Nothing was left for her. Nothing was left.

She was glad she had fallen in, she was glad she was soaked. She was glad that she hadn't simply stumbled, but had fallen fully in. She thanked God, or Poseidon, or _whoever_ she was answering to that water droplets rolled down her body, letting silent tears blend in. Nothing was left, nothing was left, nothing was left.

Eric sighed, and dryly chuckled again. "Guess we should stay away from there for a bit, huh?"

She gripped onto Eric, who returned the gesture. He looked down at her, but she had dipped her head and hidden behind her hair. He didn't want to push her, but he wanted answers. How was she feeling? _Nothing is left. _Was she upset? _Nothing is left._

In this moment, he learned the distinction between a need for comfort and a need for words. Rubbing his palms against her arm, cupping her to him, they drudged down to the beach.

Ariel bit her lip and took a last fleeting glance back the lake. The boys were nowhere in sight, they had no idea of their proximity to, they had no idea what they had taken. Their selfish conquering, their precocious adventuring. Nothing was left for Ariel. Nothing was left.

…

**Review, please! ****J**


	11. Chapter 11

Ariel felt herself swaying, her head swimming. Her footsteps seemed off and she hobbled and hobbled and fell, plopping right into the sandy beach, not ten feet from the tides.

"Ariel!" Eric exclaimed worriedly, falling right beside her. "Are you okay?"

Tears overwhelmed her and bit at the corners of her eyes. The grief she carried was too heavy a burden for any spirit. This wasn't fair. Worse, it wasn't getting better. She had been drinking that potion, but she was no closer to an answer. She had been spending time with Eric, yet drifting from him. She had been on land, but had seen none of it. Her sacred spaces were invaded, her body was tired, her spirit was vanquished. Standing was too much. Being was too much. Nothing was left.

"Ariel, please speak to me." Eric softly pleaded, wrapping his arms around her.

"Why is this happening?" she mumbled, looping her words together and dropping off at the end.

"What, what do you mean?"

"Eric, why did I deserve this? Why did we?"

"Don't speak like that, of course you didn't deserve for anything to happen."

"But, I must've- Ariel crinkled her brow together. "Things this terrible don't happen aimlessly. What did I do?" she kept shaking her head.

"You didn't do anything!" Eric insisted, pulling her tighter, constricting her.

"No! No! Stop saying that! It has to be my fault!"

"Why?"

"Because it's someone's!" She screamed, plastering her hands to her face. "Look at this! Look at me! Look at us! I'm nothing, but I carry the burden of everything! I've lost whatever matters to me in some sort of half stolen way. Too gone for me to have it, still here in the sense that I cannot be ungrateful. I can't see my family, I can't see the kingdom, I see you for glimpses. I'm not a mermaid. I'm not a human! I was here for five and a half days, I had everything for five and a half days – half of which I was under – yet another! – spell! Then I died! This sort of cruel punishment is for only the wickedest of crimes. It's someone's fault. This has to be my fault."

"But why yours? I don't understand, why does it have to be your fault?"

"Because then it's yours!" Ariel yelled before she even knew what she was saying, but she yearned to continue, almost unable to stop.

Eric stalled. It was a natural response, yes, but he was not prepared to hear it. "Do you hate me?"

"Eric, of course not! I just-I – I just hate _this_! Eric! You've been human for over 18 years, I had been human for 6 days! Why didn't you watch me? Why didn't you stay close, do something, anything else? You were why I was able to wade out, climb up that rock, why I was able to do anything! I trusted you! I thought that if you thought there was any danger, you'd steer me away! You had held my hand in every town, you were never out of sight! And while I'm neck deep in water, you were sleeping on the beach. If you had been closer, if – if - " Ariel felt sobs murking her words. "It's – It's-"

"Ariel, I-"

"No!" she interrupted. She had to finish. "Eric, I don't hate you, I swear! I love you! I don't want you to spend even a moment thinking that I hate you! You were everything to me, truly!" she was shaking, growing colder. "But I don't know who to blame, what to blame. It's someone's fault. Somehow. And I want it to mine, I do. I want to take the sole blame of my own stupidity, but you knew I was naïve, you knew how I learned. Is part of the blame yours then?"

"All of it's my fault, all of it." Eric nodded vigorously, finding himself near tears as well. "I'm so sorry, Ariel. You're right, I should've been with you, and I should've stayed close."

"I wanted everything Eric." Ariel was half listening, withdrawing deeper and deeper into herself. "Was that too much? More than anything, I just wanted to be human. But I'm not. And I don't know if I can be." She shifted her weight, moving to stand up.

"No." Eric said firmly, pulling her back down. "I don't want you alone like this, you don't deserve that."

Ariel numbly nodded and rested her head on his chest. She didn't know she was crying. She had perhaps grown used to that as well.

…

Eric knew he was missed, and he didn't make it back to the palace until almost lunch. He looked so worn, depressed, that Grim could not question him, and Carlotta could not hold back.

"Darling, what's wrong? You look as if you've lived a thousand lives!" Carlotta toddled over to the boy. "Your eyes are so red, did you sleep? Have you been crying?"

"Let him be!" Grimsby hissed. She was swarming about him like a bee, and he didn't want to make Eric feel cornered.

"Hush!" Carlotta swatted at Grimsby. "Eric, did something happen?"

Eric knew he wasn't supposed to let word get out, it would only complicate things. It was hard enough to introduce a queen to subjects, and introducing a former mermaid as a queen? And now, not just that, but a former mermaid turned Sea Witch? One who came back to life? It was complex, otherworldly, and explaining it would only cause trouble. He knew that no one could know.

But Eric was at the end of his abilities. He was in over his head, as was Ariel (_for the second time_, he bitterly thought). Eric needed aid, he needed help. And there was no one he trusted more than Grimsby and Carlotta, save for Ariel. So he told them everything, from the tragic event, to her miraculous curse, to how they had been clawing their way through days, waning and deepening.

They were quiet after, in shock and thinking.

Carlotta broke the stillness, rushing for Eric and hugging him. "The poor girl! Poor you! Poor dears! Hadn't you two already been through enough?"

"Guess not." Eric mumbled a little, feeling tears form again.

"This burden falls predominately on her, as I'm sure you're aware." Grimsby eventually interjected. "You're tried too, I know, but you must think of the girl."

"I know, Grim, believe me. I'm not doing enough, but I don't know what else to do!" Eric sighed. "I've been spending as much time as I could with her without giving up out secret. But I don't know what to do! I can't take her out into the world, and I can't follow her down to the sea."

"Maybe sail out? Hover above her, let her know you're always there?" Carlotta buzzed.

"He still has a kingdom to run, Lotta." Grim pointed out.

_I'll drop it._ Was Eric's knee-jerk reaction. _I'll leave everything to help her._ But he knew that was foolish. He should keep those thoughts out of his mind. He couldn't abandon everything centuries had built, harm the millions beneath him, even if it meant saving his true love.

…

Ariel floated down, swimming circuitously to her cavern. There couldn't be more than three shares of potion. She was almost done. She just had to down what she could, finish it off. But she felt it draining her, like this magic was sucking up her soul. This vicarious life was competing with hers, and to understand, she had to forgo herself. She could not fully have her own life back, she had not left the purgatory, as she had once though. Shaking the bottle in front of her, she looked at the contents jumping about. Things will get better when she finished. She hoped. She presumed.

Uncorking the bottle, she pressed it to her lips and took the biggest swig she could muster. It was nearing its end, and the scene took over her with so much ease she was almost concerned.

_It was three days until Ursula's coronation._

_Triton knew he didn't have time, not much of it anyway. He sat with mother through the evening, speaking to her softly, telling her tales into the wee hours of the morning, where she finally drifted into a fitful sleep._

_He yearned for rest himself, but he had miles to go and so few hours to pass. So he swam on, closer to the only solace he could imagine for himself._

_His solace took home base far from the kingdom, Atlantica. She was only a few days journey away, but once she was gone, he would not see her for some time. He knew she'd be boarded in the enclave of small estates, typically rented out by monied merpeople or visiting nobility. _

_"I'm inquiring as to the room of Princess Athena." Triton said, trying to seem as confident he could at the front desk._

_"Are you part of the party, sir?" The heavy-lidded woman looked up, daring him to lie._

_"No, but-" Triton didn't get a chance to finish._

_"Then I cannot give that information. May I help you with anything else?"_

_"Yes, I need to know which estate she's staying in!"_

_"Young man, I made it very clear as to my abilities in this situation."_

_"No, understand, I have to speak to her now or else who knows when I'll get the chance again!"_

_"Boy, it is of no consequence to me-"_

_"I am not 'boy', I am Prince Triton, and I will be king soon!" Triton prayed she had not yet heard of the coronation, she was not the type to be invited to the ball, so he figured he had a chance. "And if you do not give me the information I am asking, I will personally see to consequences!"_

_The woman balked at his temper, but steadied herself and pulled out a large bound book. "She's in the third estate, your highness."_

_Triton became suddenly conscious of his own pulse, and how it raced. "Thank you." He nodded, and swam off._

_He knocked rapidly on the door, but gasped when he realized he'd only create another hurdle for himself. There's no way Athena would answer the door. The estates were fully staffed for a reason, and the staff would surely not let him near a princess, no matter who he insisted he was. He swam up to the top floor, trying not to leer in, but hoping for a quick clue._

_And, boy did he luck out. There she was, leaning out the window, gazing at who knows what – probably something only she could see._

_"Athena!" he said hoarsely, crying out for her._

_She was startled for a moment, but regained her composure. "Triton, what on earth are you doing here? You surprised me."_

_"'Bout time the tables were turned." Triton grinned cheekily. "I had to see you."_

_"We do have doors, you know. I am most positive ours is still there, I checked on it this morning."_

_"I must've missed that. May I visit you?" Triton asked._

_Athena looked through him, her eyes piercing. She swam back, then opened the window wider for him to swim through. "You may."_

_Triton entered the lavish room, and sat down on a padded chair._

_"Now, what did you need." She raised an eyebrow and sunk into her bed, reclining on what must've been a dozen pillows._

_"I needed to see you again."_

_"Don't confuse needs with wants, Triton." She said, pulling her hair away from her face._

_"I'm not." He said firmly._

_"Well then, why did you need to see me? What do you have to say?"_

_"It's not even that," Triton swore. "I just needed to be around you more. I promise that's all. We can talk about anything you please."_

_Athena pursed her lips and gave him a most peculiar look. "I want to talk about your claim."_

_"What claim?"_

_"That you can become king."_

_"I can. I will." Triton nodded, adamant. "Ursula is not right for the kingdom. I am the best option of the two, and I will get better."_

_"You'll learn etiquette and languages and diplomacy?"_

_"I will learn whatever I do not know. I will be a great king."_

_"And I'm sure thing has nothing to do with me." Athena smiled, speaking sarcastically._

_"Oh it absolutely has to do with you. Before you, I only needed Ursula out of the throne. I didn't like the nomination from the first moment. But, thanks to you, I learned I must be the one in it."_

_"Honored to help." She leaned back and looked at the ceiling. "So, I'm sure your next question will inquire as to my willingness to marry you, should you, pardon, once you carry out this magnificent feat."_

_"No." Triton said firmly. _

_Athena sat up then, raising her eyebrows._

_"I won't force you to choose me, or give me any sort of guarantee. I want to assure you that I will be king, and express that I hope you'll give me the chance to court you. I will not expect even that."_

_She surveyed him, drawing her fins into herself and biting her lip. Thinking. "You'll be a great king."_

_"I'm okay with your sarcasm." Triton smiled._

_She leaned forward, closer to him. "I wasn't being sarcastic."_

_Triton felt his face grow hot, and he wasn't sure why. He felt almost embarrassed, yet proud. She held such obvious power over him, he was putty in her hands, sand through her fingers. But she seemed to be growing fonder of him, she did not scorn or bite, soon she would perhaps even like him! Once he was king, he'd be worthy. He could –_

_ \- She kissed him._

_He smiled instinctively, reaching out for her, trying to pull her closer, wrap himself around her, love her, truly, but she had pulled back._

_"We have time." She giggled, like a lying child. "But you do not. Your sister is being crowned soon, and you must stop it."_

_Triton was beet red and positively glowing. "You're right, you're right." He almost slurred, drunk. "I must. I will! I'm off!"_

_…_

_"In all terms but the technical, I'm ruling this kingdom. I want to see it. I'm already announced as Queen." Ursula spoke, low and deadly. The poor guard, outfoxed, did not know what to do._

_So he conceded. "Of course, ma'am."_

_She sneered._

_"Of course, Your Royal Highness."_

_Ursula smiled at this, and swam into the vault. Riches, riches, riches, guarded day and night. Gold, treasures, and artifacts. Hers, hers, hers._

_She dug her hands into a fortune and let it slip through more quickly than a generation could spend it. She was more powerful than time._

_She took a scroll, fading but shining. On it were rules, rights. It was so thin, so flimsy, she could tear it with the slightest whim, remove it from thought. She was more powerful than history._

_She circled around the halls a few times, only tapping a finger on the surface of the riches of her kingdom, the work that had been put in through centuries, generations. It was all at her disposal. A crown, marked 'King Tåbelige II' rested in a golden case, gathering dust. She placed it on her head. She was more powerful than any who had come before her, for she had accumulated their riches. _

_She was the most powerful woman under the Seas, she was her true form. She was everything she could ever want to be, in every form but the absolute._

_…_

_Triton never forgot that he was a prince, how could he? He lived in a palace, the Queen was always nearby. There were servants and every whim or desire he could produce was carried out to the fullest extent of possibility. He had been groomed and trained from birth. Elegance and panache surrounded him. He was royalty!_

_But…Triton sometimes forgot that he was a prince. Hence his utter amazement that when he went into the center of town and took the podium, people stopped. Gathered. Came to listen to him speak._

_He allowed them a few moments to gather. Some came running; children who were intrigued, mothers out on errands, teenage boys on chores. Men and women stepped out of shops, sat on stoops, and leaned out of windows. The kingdom had gathered._

_"I know there was no notice as to my speech," Triton began, his voice booming and strong. "and I thank you in advance for spreading my message as far as you can, for it is one that impacts each and every one of you, greatly."_

_The townspeople began to titter, looking over to each other. Triton looked intimidating out over them, and they quickly fell silent._

_He continued. "Last night, out new leader was announced. Ursula."_

_The people instinctually began to clap._

_"I am sorry to announce that this was a grievous judgement error, which could mean harm to your families, destruction to our economy, and misery and woe throughout Atlantica and her allies."_

_The people gasped, shaking their heads. How on earth could he know this? What does he mean?_

_"Ursula, whom I refuse to address by her wrongly given title, is the least fitted person for this position. She's malicious and greedy, and seeks this position only to make herself more powerful, and take the riches of the kingdom. She cares not for you, and has made that very clear to any who choose to listen. If you could spend but half an hour in the palace, if you could listen to her speak for only five minutes, you would understand."_

_He continued, he spoke for over an hour. The crowd became more enraged as he gave examples and proof of her misdeeds, as he explained how ill fitted she was for office. Afterwards, questions were shouted at him and he answered them until the sun dipped beneath the horizon, until children grew bored and wandered off, until the packing throngs of adults reached a consensus; Ursula must be stopped._

_Not once did he speak of himself as a king. _

...

**So this initially was going to be two chapters, but I figured I'd just tie 'em both together since they flowed better that way. How 'bout since y'all got an extra long chapter, I get an extra long review? :D**


	12. Chapter 12

Ariel had dismissed the thought before it even had a chance to fully form. Pushed it out of her brain and down to the pit of her stomach, when she hoped it'd evaporate before it could be digested or developed. _Maybe I shouldn't go back._ Ridiculous. Of course she had to. She was scared, but she was brave. And she needed her human life more that she could express to herself.

She grabbed the dress and her two potions – the one that turned her human, and the one that turned her back into a mermaid. The humanity potion would've worn off on its own eventually, roughly around sundown, but she wanted some semblance of control over her life, and accepted it in ever-waning bits.

Every time she burst to the surface felt new to her, like a sensational rebirth. There was only a brief moment where she felt truly, fully human. She was wet beneath the surface, wet once she processed the water droplets running down her skin and the waves crashing at her back. But in the brief, brief second of semi consciousness, she felt new, bright, dry: human. It was over too soon, and this may have made her appreciate it more. She didn't care to muse long enough to come to a conclusion. She didn't really want an answer.

She ducked under the water again and felt herself bobbing up again and again to experience this momentary ecstasy, but each was an exponentially diluted form of the first break. She appreciated them still, yes, but after a while, she was just swimming.

Eric was sleeping on the beach, a sail bunched up under his head and wrapped partially around his body. He snored, loudly, and Ariel giggled in spite of herself. She skidded her fingertips across the water and splashed him. The snore caught in his throat and he sat up rapidly.

"Mornin'" Ariel smiled weakly.

"Ariel!" Eric exclaimed, scrambling towards her.

"Here, give me a minute." Ariel slipped the dress over her head. "You can look away if you want to." She said, out of habit, holding the first potion bottle to her lips.

"No, that's not fair to you." Eric said. He grabbed her free hand and plopped down in the water beside her. "I wish you didn't have to go through this, but I'm going to do all I can to be here with you."

Ariel smiled a little and squeezed his hand as she downed the potion and let the convulsions and prickles give her body back to her. The pain pulled out like tides, and she felt her legs again. She felt like herself.

"I can't give you the human world." Eric started, after giving her a minute to bring her wits about herself. "Not while you still have this curse. I don't have anywhere safe to take you. I'm - I'm sorry."

He was sincere, he was kind, but Ariel couldn't not feel the pain these words brought. She was closed off from the human world, her true home, until she was able to break this damned curse. There was no more grey area. There was no more humanity. There was only Eric, he was her Only Thing Left. She couldn't admit to herself that he might not be enough.

"What do we do, then?" Ariel asked, her soft voice a surprise even to herself.

"We have…this. For now, at least. We can talk. We have each other."

Her stomach shouldn't have dropped, but it did.

…

Dissatisfaction was a dealing with a stingy peddler, dissatisfaction was a poor grade after a valiant effort, dissatisfaction was not supposed to be true love. Still, Ariel could not place another word to her feeling, as she swam back to her cavern, a mermaid once more.

Eric had not left her side the entire day, talking to her, learning more of and about her. She was interested, pulled into the conversation, but today did not fix anything. It wasn't cathartic, she felt no freer, no happier. She didn't need to place her resentment, she knew she'd feel no freedom until this curse was broken.

Every time she began to feel herself soften, she' d be struck again by his words. He was never mean, never cruel, but he'd answer a question and bring in Carlotta or Grim, some people _he_ had gotten to speak to. A festival _he_ had gotten to see. A place _he_ had gotten to go. She didn't bring it up, for she knew there was no malicious intent behind it, but she had almost wished he had just kept quiet.

She sat down on a perch by her basin, resting her head on the side. _Sigh_.

The basin opened up and spat out a vision, in real time, of a girl she had been keeping marks on. Evelyn.

The sun was setting, and she was curved up against a cave. The color had been sucked out of her dark skin, the brightness out her eyes, she had shriveled and shrunk, and seemed to be disappearing from sight. There were no fish around her, and Ariel could only place her from an oh-so-familiar wreck.

Ariel felt her heart ache, and knew the girl would need her.

…

_When the Sea Witch is done with you, she will come for you._

Evelyn felt these words beat into in her with the same efficiency and effect that would've done her good had she heeded them three days prior. They had been spoken to her by her mother, her parents, her teachers, pastors: all of authority who spoke to her.

They warned her of the Sea Witch, an aloof shadow of a being, who lurked intermittingly in her cavern. There had been one as long as anyone could remember, and no one knew how to get rid of her. No one knew if it would be worth it to try. Always, there had been heedings against her, though they became more pronounced when Triton took to the throne.

_'Do not visit the Sea Witch'_

_'Do not make bargains with the Sea Witch'_

_'Do not harass the Sea Witch'_

Most children listened, most children didn't need to be told more than once. How Evelyn wished she was one of them. Now she would pay her price. The Sea Witch would come and probably suck out her soul, ban her to a sisterhood, ruin her, confine her, become the vision Evelyn had always been told to faintly hold.

Ariel found her by the shipwreck, faded back to her initial self. A sadder, lamenting version of her initial self.

Evelyn pursed her lips and looked up worriedly.

"Come here, darling." Ariel sighed, taking the girl into her arms. "Let's get you cleaned up. A meal. You'll feel better soon, we can talk. You'll see."

_When the Sea Witch is done with you, she will come for you._

…

**Sorry we're back to the average length, writer's block was a little rough for this one.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Just some trigger warnings for this chapter. Nothing too bad, more 'mention' than 'description', but if you're sensitive then I'd give this one a pass (if you wanna know what happens feel free to PM me and I'll sum it up). But this will be a pretty huge chapter, both in terms of length and content (4000 words!) I wanted to just work through a bunch of the rising action, not leave y'all waiting! Hope it will be worth the wait xx**

Ariel sheparded the girl back to her cavern, rubbing her arms to warm her up. Evelyn had certainly lost her luster, but she seemed to be perking up. Ariel found her blankets and wrapped the girl up in them. She brought out a goblet of dark liquid and offered it to the girl.

"Please, no." Evelyn bit her lip, leaning back.

Ariel scrunched her brow together, then placed Evelyn's hesitation. "Oh, no! It's just tea."

"Oh!" Evelyn then happily took the mug and sipped it slowly, still a little suspicious, but slowly letting her guard down.

"What happened?" Ariel asked.

"You – you don't know?" Evelyn said, confused.

_Should I?_ "Let me hear your perspective." Ariel said diplomatically.

Evelyn exhaled into the tea, her breath shaking. "I-I thought you could see everything, that's all."

_I don't think so. Can I?_ Instead, Ariel made a noise of agreement, and raised her eyebrows, prompting the girl to continue.

Evelyn took another sip of her tea and began.

"Well, you sent me out with my three days and, oh, Sea Witch, you made me fantastic. I was positively glowing! I felt brighter, more confident, I thought I could do anything! I'd soon learn I was wrong, but for the time being, it was nothing short of wonderful!

You made me famous, as well, and I found myself mobbed on the streets. Thousands of adoring fans, it seemed! They asked for autographs and pictures, and I laughed and signed and smiled, because I couldn't bring myself to be annoyed. As invasive as they were, there was always this nagging sensation that this couldn't last forever, and I tried to do everything I could.

I eventually made my way into town, where a new mansion had appeared, and, well, my name was emblazed over it, so I figured it had to be mine. I entered, and no one stopped me – rather, they welcomed me! – so, I guess I was right! I made myself at home easily, one can get used to a palace like that! I don't understand why you live in a cavern like this when you have that sort of power, but, la, to each their own, I suppose.

Anyway, I asked of Sam, and found he was also in town, and I made my way over quickly, after only exploring a little. I knocked on his door – his guards recognized me and let me right in – he seemed very surprised to see me, but he knew of me as well, and, oh, Sea Witch, hearing him say my name was the sweetest moment of my life. He somehow said it absolutely perfectly, and if I could stop my life's progression and re-live that first day, that first moment, I would. If I could forget everything that came after, I would. Sea Witch, I would.

I hadn't thought of a way to actually get inside his house, but that did not prove too problematic. I stalled, only for a moment, and Sam assumed I was just trying to get away from paparazzi. He understood, invited me in, and we spent the day together. I don't know if we lived in a realm where he already knew me, or if his easy manner allowed for me to be so comfortable around him, but that first day was perfect.

I asked to see him the next day, and he laughed a little before agreeing, like I was missing out on a joke he already knew of. That should've been enough to let me know, but I didn't accept it. I didn't appreciate the significance of everything he did. I came back.

The second day he was much clingier to me, grabbing my arm, pulling me around. I feel foolish to admit even that excited me, the sheer idea that he was near me, touching me! How sad. I now feel such a ninny, but at the time, I thought I had him wrapped around my finger. We didn't talk nearly as much, he showed me all the fine things in his house and I oo'ed and ahh'ed and tried to redirect the conversation back to him, back to me, back to us, but every time I'd start he'd interrupt me and bring up his possessions, his house, his something.

I suggested we'd go out, he'd insist we were fine here. I'd take a seat, and he'd lean up closer to me. I thought it meant he loved me. I kept waiting for him to kiss me, True Love's Kiss, but something always seemed to stop him. Not a noise, nor a distraction, but his own will and sense seemed to prevent him from leaning in and finally kissing me.

He never ended up making a move that day, but he kept his arms wrapped around my waist, grabbing and picking at me, and I continually brushed it off as aggressive affection!

The third day, he started off with more of the same, simply lathering me in affection, almost to the point where I was drowning. The day progressed and he crawled closer and closer, whispering into me and setting off goosebumps up my arms. Finally, I persuaded him to bring me out for a walk, but he wasn't interesting in going to town, going to see, do anything. Rather, he took me down secluded paths, the kind your mother warns you of, continuing to press me to him.

Finally, we must've reached an appropriately abandoned place, near some old shipwrecks, and the sun was already falling deep into the sky. I kept looking up and at him, and he leaned into me, and whispered 'We can keep this just between us, right?'

I had stammered then, going 'What?' 'What do you mean?' over and over, and variations thereof.

He told me to settle back, claiming that he just didn't want it out into the tabloids, didn't want anyone to find out, he said his girlfriend would have a fit, and that was the last straw. He didn't love me. He didn't want me. He barely wanted my body, and that was it. I pushed him off, hit him, and yelled. How I yelled. Sometimes it was insults, sometimes it was arguments, sometimes I was just screaming. He left, and I settled to where you found me.

I know I needed the True Love's Kiss to break the spell, but even if I had let him kiss me, I know it wouldn't have broken anything." The girl exhaled into her tea and sipped it again, looking up at Ariel like she was waiting for a response.

Ariel almost didn't know what to say. Who would? She moved only by instinct, swimming over to the girl and wrapping her arms around her. "I'm _so_ sorry he did that to you."

"I'm not as upset as you would think I would be." Evelyn sighed, tears welling up. She scrubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, and shakily laughed a little. "I guess I'm just glad the bargain didn't cost me my soul or anything. That's what they say about you, you know. I'll have to just join one of these sisterhoods, I guess."

Ariel almost felt a pang of guilt for making her go, but she knew it was the best option for the poor, love-starved girl. They were good places, her grandmother had helped start them up in order to give girls a safe place to go, to grow. They were kind, well-kept, and very little had been negatively said about them.

"Please, try it." Ariel spoke, squeezing the girl a little tighter. "If – if you don't like it, you don't have to stay. But please go."

Evelyn nodded, smiling, bouncing. "I've had friends who went. You're not sequestered, but you're safe. I think it'll be nice, at least for a while. Will," she exhaled, and smiled up at Ariel. "will you swim me over?"

Ariel wrapped the blanket a little more snugly around the girl's shoulders. "Of course."

"Oh, Sea Witch." Evelyn stood, taking her hand. "You're fantastic."

…

Having returned back to her cavern, Ariel made a beeline for the potion. There had to be no more than two sips left. They were almost done. But she found herself stalling, looking over at her basin. Was Evelyn right, or was it a rumor? Could she really watch people, see them if she wanted to? Did she have this power all along, and just not the knowledge to access it?

She so wished to check in on others, it was exhausting to be so sequestration from her loved ones. But the separation was necessary. She would not put her family through the pain of knowing she died, not when it was not yet permanent.

She had mused that it might've helped, perhaps they could have guided or assisted her. But, ultimately, how? This situation was so peculiar that even Ariel, for all her learning, had not heard of it. No, what she was doing was best. If her family knew, they would die.

Or worse, they'd lash out. Triton especially, she was all too aware of his temper. But he would not yell at her for her clumsiness, but he'd rage at Eric, she knew it. Not watching her, letting her venture and slip. Triton would go out to kill Eric, she was sure of this. Even if, by some odd miracle, Triton did not strike Eric, the animosity would be so eternal that it could never heal. Ariel was not willing to inflict what was, hopefully, temporary pain. Much less permanently ruin relationships so vital.

But she did miss them, her family constantly, and Eric perpetually. Just seeing them would help, even if it wasn't quite the same as being with them.

She flipped open her recipe book of spells and potions, leafing through and landing on a promising page. The instructions were simple; there were no potions to brew, no ingredients to add. She simply had to think of them, and only of them, with as much focus and determination as she could. Then, she would wave her hands over the basin, and a scene of them would appear.

She did just that, and it worked! A lucid orb rose from the basin, hovering over. Triton and her sisters. They were at dinner together, laughing. They spoke of their days, their adventures, they were happy.

After appetizers were taken away, there was a lull, and Andrina picked up her wine goblet, hoisting it high in the air. "To Ariel!" she exclaimed, and the rest of the family followed suit, echoes of 'to Ariel' reverberating through her cavern.

Ariel smiled softly at them, resting her head on her arms. "See you soon."

…

Ariel found herself lucky, a sensation she hadn't felt in quite some time. She could've just as easily become Evelyn – but facing a far worse fate. Eric could've been like Sam; his kindness towards others, his apparent bravery, it could've been a farce. A very convincing one, but it could've been.

He could've tried to use Ariel, manipulate her, and there was a good chance she wouldn't have picked up on any misdeeds until it was too late. But he didn't. Eric was different, and he loved her. He showed her around town, explained everything she didn't understand. He was polite and gentlemanly, and good to her.

He fought to keep her in his world, his life, and has continued to do so since. Imperfectly, yes, but he has tried, and that's more than many people get.

He loved her, and she truly loved him.

She wasn't sure if she could solely attribute it to luck, but damn if she didn't feel lucky.

…

Ariel knew now more than ever that she had to break the curse – and now. The amount of potion left was minimal, two sips, probably. She could do that. The potion drained her, pressing in on her soul and forcing it to the ends of her being, but she would handle it. It would end tonight.

She downed the first sip, the sickly feeling overwhelming her in waves, and watched these scenes, her scenes, unfold.

_It was two days before Ursula's coronation._

_Ursula was screaming, and it was terrible. She shook the rafters, waved her fists. She cried out and Triton would've shrunk back if so much wasn't at stake. _

_"YOU COULD HAVE RUINED EVERYTHING! HOW DARE YOU? I AM YOUR QUEEN-"_

_"You are not." _

_Ursula had been screaming for almost fifteen minutes, and Triton interrupted her for the first time._

_"You are not my queen. You are my sister, you are my friend, but you are not my queen, in any understanding of the word."_

_"YOU DISGUSTING WORM, YOU ABSOLUTELY FUCKING PUTRID, PRECOCIOUS LITTLE BRAT! YOU'RE JEALOUS, YOU'RE DESTRUCTIVE, THIS IS NOT SOME SORT OF HERO NOVEL, YOU ARE NOT SAVING THE TOWN! I AM NOT A VILLIAN."_

_"Not yet, I don't want you to be one. You're gone mad with power, and, Ursula, please, keep your voice down."_

_"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOUR PRIORITES? DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'VE WRECKED? WHAT YOU'RE PLAYING WITH?"_

_"The noise disturbs Mother-"_

_"FUCK MOTHER, YOU'RE RUINED EVERYTHING!"_

_A vase crashed just off in the distance, and there were scrambles and people calling out._

_"LOOK AT THIS!" Ursula threw her arm out to the side. "LOOK WHAT ELSE YOU'VE WRECKED! YOU DISTRURBED SOMEONE AND NOW SOMETHING'S BROKEN!"_

_Triton glared at her and, grabbing her arm, pulled her to the site of the noise, to prove it either didn't happen, or that it was no big deal._

_"Children! There you are! Come!" a maid grabbed them by the hands and pulled them down the hall. "Quick!"_

_"What's going on? What's wrong?" Triton asked nervously._

_"Yeah, is something wrong?" Ursula said, suddenly sounding very childlike._

_"Your mother stopped breathing."_

_Triton broke away and swam to her, Ursula stalled. Triton burst into the room, pushing aside maids who were in the way, who had reached out to soothe him, who only slowed him._

_The doctor looked up solemnly. "Your mother is dead."_

_Ursula entered the room slowly, worriedly._

_Triton wheeled on her, yelling for the first time. "YOU KILLED HER!"_

_…_

_Ursula had bolted from the scene, pushing her way out through kelp, sobs catching in her throat, crying, crying, crying._

_She swam to her one secret place, a small grotto just on the outskirts of the kingdom. She rolled a stone back and swam inside, collapsing on a large stone, burying her face in her arms, and sobbing. Crying, crying, crying._

_"Poor child"_

_Ursula started up, flailing her arms in instinctual self defense. "Who is it? Who's there!"_

_Two moray eels, soft blue in color, circled around her. They were small, young._

_Ursula still sat defensively. "What do you want!"_

_"We were here first, we might as well ask you the same thing."_

_Ursula softened. She hadn't even seen them. "I'm sorry." She mumbled. "Today…today is just the worst day of my life."_

_"We can help." The left eel insisted._

_"How?"_

_"We know of an abandoned cavern, there's all sorts of potions and elixirs. Maybe one could help."_

_"Poor child."_

_"Poor, sweet child."_

_Ursula bit her lip. "Take me there."_

_…_

_The eels, for all their strangeness, were comforting. They spoke to her softly, listened while she vented, and truly took her to the cavern. There was a large book laid out by a basin, and Ursula flipped through it. She did not want to die, she wanted to disappear. Just for a while, until her coronation, something she could reverse._

_She landed on 'A Fundamental Change of Your Form', followed by a list of creatures she could become. She wanted to be a sea creature still, something intimidating, something powerful. An octopus would work._

_The bottles weren't labeled, but there was a diagram in the front of the book, and she pieced together enough evidence to identify it. She mixed the potion and downed a goblet, screaming as she felt her form changing._

_…_

_Triton was livid, sobbing still, as he ran to his podium. Ursula had destroyed his family, killed his mother, he would not let her take his kingdom. Townspeople gathered just as quickly as they had before, mobbing to him in order to hear what he had to say. _

_"I come bearing –sob!- terrible news!" Triton bellowed, sobs calming as anger replaced his sadness. "Our Queen is dead, the fault being PRINCESS URSULA'S!"_

_The townspeople gasped and clutched at each other._

_"People, citizens, we must remove her from throne. We must find her, and drive her out of our own kingdom! If a girl can kill her own mother, what else can she be capable of?"_

_The townspeople resoundedly agreed, crying out magnified ideas at each other. _

_"She'll kill our families!"_

_"Tax us blind!"_

_"Invade and draft us!"_

_They grew expodentially angrier and angrier, yelled and grouping._

_"Drive her out! When she is gone, I will announce it. Go!" Triton bellowed angrily, slamming his fists into the podium._

_They listened, and spread._

Ariel gasped as she pulled out of the scene, panting and inadvertently clutching at her surroundings, seeking some, any, stability. Before she could feel well again, before she could remember the feeling, she downed the other sip and was pulled back under, her heart beating out her chest.

_"I knew you'd find me." Ursula said, strangely calmly. "I always knew." She was nervously on edge, balled up in a dent in her cavern, tentacles falling down the side. "I just wanted to hide for a bit, but I knew you wouldn't even let me have that."_

_"You might as well stay there forever." Triton spat. "I'll call the townspeople together, we'll drive you out further. They're already looking."_

_"Don't you think I've been watching?" Ursula gestured to the basin._

_"You will not be Queen." Triton said firmly. "You will not have my kingdom."_

_"I will." Ursula sneered. "Maybe not today, or tomorrow, but this will die down soon enough, and I'll be back."_

_Triton swam to her and put his hands to her neck. "I'll kill you myself if I have to."_

_Ursula felt a pang of fear, but tried to keep her composure. She had to challenge him. Re-establish superiority. "No more women in your life, eh Tri?"_

_Triton burned and pushed her off of her perch, sending Ursula crashing into the floor. She scrambled up easily enough, almost tauntingly easily._

_"Let me tell you something." Triton said, his voice low and deadly. "I will gather up the townspeople if you ever leave this cave, ever breathe another breath of fresh air. They've listened to me once, twice, and grand things can come in threes."_

_Ursula found her breathing growing more difficult._

_"You will never have a life outside of this." He continued. "You will have nothing, take nothing, be nothing. You can sit her and watch as the rest of the kingdom thrives without you, is happy without you. You are nothing to me, nothing to them. They cast you off so easily."_

_Ursula found tears growing to her eyes._

_"You will sit her and grow old, turn to dust, alone-"_

_"Triton, stop!"_

_"-meaningless, you are worthless. To me, to all."_

_"Triton, brother, you can't carry this out!"_

_"I can, I will. I will have them come and pick you apart. And I will be watching, always watching." He turned on her and swam back out of the cavern._

_Ursula felt herself clenching, shaking, she sunk closer and closer to the floor as his words, his threats, his meaning sank in. She was done. There was nothing left._

_She stood, weakly, and the eels rushed to soothe her but she pushed them away._

_There was nothing left._

_She rummaged through drawers, spastically striking out, as she had lost all control of her body._

_There was nothing left._

_She found a knife, jagged and old, rusted with time._

_There was nothing left._

_She paused for only a second, and the eels swam forward again, trying to stop her, but two tentacles came up to stop them._

_There was nothing left._

_She dragged the knife across her dark skin._

_There was nothing left._

_She felt herself fading_

_There was nothing_

_Blood rushed up over her_

_There was_

_The world grew fuzzy, she grew weary._

_There_

_She saw only brightness, and she was gone, mumbling her last words. "He's wronged me greatly."_

…

Ariel felt her face contort as she awoke from the vision, breathing heavily to the point of hyperventilation. That was the potion. That was the story. She had her answer.

The one who wronged you most is the one who let you die.

She was excited, running, sprinting out to the beach, pulling Eric along with her. He was tired, and his guard was down.

The one who wronged you most is the one who let you die.

She leapt into the water, still warm to her skin, reveling in how she kept this one sacred part of her past life. Eric stayed in the shallows, shivering.

The one who wronged you most is the one who let you die.

She didn't know how rocks got so slippery, more slippery with human hands. She didn't know the nuanced differences of humanity. She was so young, so naïve, so new to this world. Eric knew. He had grown up on land, lived it, loved it. He knew.

The one who wronged you most is the one who let you die.

She went out too deep, moved out too quickly. She was grasping at air, and he was far away. He was sleeping on the beach, in a world of his own.

The one who wronged you most is the one who let you die.

She plunged beneath the water, and it filled her lungs for the first and last time. He wasn't watching. He didn't see. She drowned.

The one who wronged you most is the one who let you die.

The terms of her contract were simple, she must take the soul of the one who wronged you most. Taking a soul…it eventually killed the person. Painfully.

The one who wronged you most is the one who let you die.

She would have to take Eric's soul.


	14. Chapter 14

**This was a very hard chapter to write. I couldn't get through the ending, so here's a shorter chap for the sake of an update. **

Eric was up all night, he had to be. There was the Festival of Light to be put on today, and there was still so much to do. He had been, well, rather preoccupied, and hadn't had the time to give it the attention it demanded. Sure, Carlotta had picked up a lot of the slack once she understood what was going on with him and Ariel, but even someone as organized as her couldn't do everything by herself. There were people to check in and instruct, displays to be set up, things to approve and sign, and that was only the beginning!

Eric rubbed fatigue from his eyes, and waved at Grimsby, indicating he was going to sit down for a minute. He found a secluded place and laid back. He was exhausted, but still thought of Ariel. What he would give to have her here! What he would give to be with her! If only there was something he could do, if only Carlotta's boat idea was more practical.

He had to be more proactive, there must be a way to get ahead of this whole terrible curse. Everything he had done was reactionary, trying to cope. He was running after a broken machine and picking up the parts, tying things on while others were snapping off. He couldn't work on fixing his relationship with her, on perfecting things that were too busy perpetually breaking.

If only he were enough. Then maybe this would be easier. It wouldn't be easy, he wasn't able to delude himself enough to believe that, but easier. Maybe he could find a way to be in her world, some way to be a merman. It'd be interesting. The kingdom have to change dynasties, he didn't have an heir. But there were always ambitious lords who'd be more than thrilled to help him out in this aspect, he was sure. Those who had been begging for power, for new things, without any knowledge of actualities or consequences.

But he knew he would never be. She loved him, he was sure of this, but she loved the human world too. She needed both aspects in her life to be whole, and in their situation, he could only offer her a constrained, bastardized view of the human world, and all of himself. It wasn't enough. Ultimately, he was stuck in this place of uselessness, waiting until she finished her potion, waiting until he could help her forward.

"Eric!" Carlotta waved her arms over her head, trying to get his attention.

He was needed back at the palace, but he wished he was needed elsewhere.

…

She had to kill Eric.

She had to kill Eric, or else risk an eternity of wasting away, turning into a secluded Sea Witch. Missing her world, missing her family, missing her Love.

She had to do it.

But how could she?

Ariel screamed and dropped the floor, burying her face in her arms. The potion was supposed to be the end! Oh, but what did she expect? A spell she'd mumble to undo everything? Some directions to give her legs again? It seemed so stupid, so girlish, but she had truly hoped it would be so easy.

She rose with a shutter, a gleam catching her eye. There was an object in a small cupboard, and she opened it. Resting in the center, a thin layer of dust covering, was a knife. There was a piece of paper wrapped around it. Ariel tore it off and read it quickly.

_Darling,_

_Should you choose this path, this knife will be an easy and effective way to capture a soul. Best of luck, and I do hope you make the right choices._

**_Purgatory Soul_**

Ariel threw the knife to the ground, backing up. No. No! She couldn't do this. She could not possibly kill the man she loved, not for anything. She couldn't! Anything else, _please_, there had to be something else!

But surrounding her was this terrible imbalance, one she was always cognizant of, yet seldom acknowledged. Of course he had hurt her, slighted her, but never intentionally! She knew he had never meant to hurt her, but he had. Could that possibly justify – _no_!

Life without humanity. It was a possibility now, and she had to consider it. Could she do it? Could she really spend the rest of eternity as the Sea Witch, popping in and out of the human world with never enough satisfaction? What would she do once Eric died? What would she do once everything, _everything_ she knew was gone? Were there any other options for her?

Was _her_ death an option?

There was only one think she knew for absolute certainty – she would not, could not stay a water creature forever. She needed her humanity in an irreversible and unsubstituable way, and she could not sway from her desire to assume her true form. She had fought too hard to get there, tasted it too briefly, she would not give it up.

But at the cost of a soul? The soul of her beloved.

She couldn't do this, could she?

…

Eric approached the festival with a new vivacity, a perfect solution having come to mind.

"Come on guys, right this way!" he directed grumbling servants and workers, who _had just had everything perfect_ and _didn't understand why we had to move everything_. Eric didn't need them to understand, in fact, it would be far more complicated if he tried to explain.

This might not fix everything, but it would help.

Eric didn't know if he could fix this whole situation. But he knew he was brave enough to at least try. Life had a way of perpetually disarming him, but that, if anything, meant he had gotten good at rearming himself.

"You guys are doing great! The festival will be wonderful!" He shouted encouragement as he helped carry booths westward. "We're almost done!"

The people finished up with their work and placed everything where it was roughly supposed to be, and got right to work with straightening and organizing everything they needed to, picking up from where they initially left off.

Eric ran forward a bit and scooped up ocean water, splashing his face. The sun was beginning to rise, and he knew he'd see her soon.

**Reviews, please!**


	15. Chapter 15

**So this is the last official chapter, but I still have anywhere from 1-3 epilogue snippets sketched out. The last few chapters, and this one in particular, were difficult to write, but I thank everyone for sticking it out to the end and staying with me! Hope you liked it xx Review please!**

She couldn't take his soul, but maybe he'd give it up.

This thought was not comforting, but she would not relinquish it.

She, still in disbelief, picked up the knife, almost hoping he'd refuse. Make it easy. Make it so she wouldn't have to wonder 'what ifs', but merely exist is a stagnant misery. Somehow, that was an upside. She ran it over in her hands, the metal was heavy and cool; smooth to the touch. What if he said yes?

Ariel didn't want to think about that, she didn't want to think about anything. She gripped the knife so tightly her knuckles went white, and snagged another small bottle of human potion, along with the green dress. Rocketing to the surface, she flipped her hair back and exhaled, unaware the whole time that she was holding her breath.

She scanned the beach. Eric was not yet there, but the sun hadn't risen, and she didn't expect him to be. Throwing back the potion, she lay on her back in the shallows and waited out the pain. She had not grown numb to it, but she had grown more used to it.

She pulled the dress over her head and let the water nab at it and draw up to her waist. It added weight, it added feeling, it added pressure. Ariel let her head fall under the surface. Eyes open, she saw the pull of waves above her. Needing air, she broke the surface.

Blinking and looking about herself, she saw her clipped view of humanity. She knew what lay beyond these beachy hills and shoreline rocks. She knew there was more to be offered, and, perhaps most importantly, she knew it wasn't worth it.

If she were to kill Eric, she would be creating her own eternal purgatory, where she has the happiness of the human world; discoveries, adventures, but with no sense of focus, no purpose. She'd have no partner, no guide, no listening ear, no love. This eternal sense of guilt would not offset the joys of the human world, and she could neither harm herself in this sense, nor lay a hand to the man she loves.

She needed the human world more than she needed her own life, but not more than she needed the life of the man she loved. Still clenched in her fist, the knife had, if anything, grown colder. She couldn't hurt Eric like this. Ever. No matter what he had done, no matter what he had ruined. She loved him too much.

So she threw it, far, far, out into the ocean, where it plunged deep, deep below.

Ariel still felt its weight on her hand, like an imprint. She did not wish for it back. Wading to shore, she collapsed on the sand and leaned her head back. There was no light in the sky, but it would come soon, and she knew Eric would follow with it.

And she would tell him everything.

…

Eric arrived far sooner than she expected, and such a change was both dreaded and welcomed by Ariel. She'd get this over with, but she was in no means ready. Of course, to be waiting until she was ready was to wait forever.

Eric trotted over to her, sweeping her up in an embrace that was so full of innocent love that she felt immensely lucky, then immensely guilty. He was so glowing, she almost wanted to demand to know what had changed. She was happy, of course, that _he_ was this happy, but why? What did he have to be smiling about?

"Ariel, I'm glad you got here early." Eric beamed, settling them both down on the sand.

"I, uh, kinda had to."

Eric furrowed his brow. "Why?"

"I finished the potion."

Eric felt his heart stop in his chest. This was it. "What did it say? Do? Show? I'm not really sure how this works. Okay, start with the end, just for the sake of anticipation. What do we have to do to break this curse? What can I do?"

Ariel bit her lip, hard, like penance. "I have to take a soul." She said, simply.

Eric recoiled a little at this. "Wow. That's-wow."

"Of the person who wronged me most."

"Wouldn't that be Ursula? Isn't she dead?"

"She is. And it would be, if she were alive. But only the alive have souls."

"Ariel, I don't think I really understand."

"Starting at the end is foolish, I can't do that." Ariel said quickly. She'd still have to tell him, but she could draw out time. "Let me tell you how Ursula came to be in the form we know."

"Go for it." Eric nodded, listening attentively.

"Well, when I'd drink this potion, it'd give me insight to her life. I went back in time, and saw everything she used to be, and how all of life was. She used to be my aunt, sister to my father. She was supposed to be Queen."

"Oh, God." Eric mumbled.

Ariel nodded in agreement, but continued. "But she wouldn't be a good Queen, she'd be worse than just an incompetent or inattentive one. You saw her Eric, and you've heard me speak of her. She malicious and power-hungry, and would have ruined Atlantica for sure."

"Of course."

"And my father fell in love with my mother around that time, and he learned he could never have a chance with her unless he became king himself. So he knew he had to stop Ursula, and he knew he had to become king. So he set out to do that, and riled up the townspeople. In fear, Ursula ran away – she ran to _my_ grotto, Eric! Mine! – _she_ -" Ariel felt a sob clutch at this point; another space violated, another thing taken from her.

"Keep going." Eric wrapped his arms around her now, drawing her in, urging her to continue speaking.

"And she was led to the cavern, her cavern, my cavern, _our_ cavern! She turned herself into an octopus as a disguise, she fundamentally changed her form – like I did when I became human! So we were thrown into the same lot when we died. She slit her wrists when she feared Triton had taken everything from her, I drowned when you were not watching me."

Eric squirmed at this, uncomfortable.

"So we were both sent to a purgatory, and both chose the out of a sea witch in order to get another chance at our lives. To do so, we must capture the soul of the person who wronged us the most. For Ursula, it was Triton; daddy. When she took his soul, she became queen, what she considered to be her true form. If I want to be human, I must do the same."

Eric nodded at this, trying to piece everything together.

"When I finished the potion, a knife appeared for me, from the Purgatory Soul. To aid with the taking of the soul who wronged me the most. I'd have to stab them."

"Who wronged you the most then, if not Ursula?"

"I was asked that by the Purgatory Soul at the beginning, I didn't know then. But Ursula spelled it out, she gave me her definition. A definition."

"So who?"

"The person who wronged you the most is the one who let you die."

Eric's skin lost all color. "Me." He stated, not as an objection, or as a question, but as a fact.

"If I wanted to become human, I'd have to take your soul."

"Then do it." Eric said bravely, firmly. He was still holding her closely.

"_What_?" Ariel screeched. "You can't have heard me, I'd have to-"

"-Kill me. End my life. Stab me. Do it."

"Eric, I could never-"

"-be happy when you aren't a human. Ariel if there's anything I've learned about you in the too-short time we've had together, it's that. You need humanity, and you need it more than you need me. And I need you to be happy more than I need anything else. Do it."

"Eric, I would never-"

"You aren't twisting my arm here, this is something I'm doing. Willingly. Do it."

"Eric!"

"Ariel, please! If this is the way out, do it! We've been spending this whole time looking for something, someone to fight, but this is the battle we're given. Do it."

"_Eric_-"

"Ariel, ple-"

"_Eric_, I threw away the knife!"

Eric balked for a second, stumbling back. "W-what? Why would you do that! Can you find it? Is there any hope of you getting it back?"

"Eric, I don't want it back. My humanity would mean nothing if I couldn't spend it with you. Losing you, killing you, would be a worse purgatory in and of itself."

"Ariel, Ariel…" Eric mumbled her name over and over as he drew her into his arms and began to cry. She cried with him, sobs clutching in her chest. Everything was almost taken from her, but she hadn't given up. She had something.

She raised her eyes, lashes supporting tears, as the faintest glow came over the horizon.

"Eric, there's something shining."

"-For you." He eventually got out. "It's the light festival, they begin right when the sun comes up. I moved it closer, so you could go."

"But, we weren't going to tell people-"

"I want to tell people Ariel, and if you're willing to, I'll help everyone adjust. We can tell people about the curse. The castle staff, the townspeople, your family. Everyone. They'll be confused, some may be angry, but I want you to be as much a part of this world, my world, _your_ world, as you can be."

Ariel felt a smile spread across her face. "It's here?"

"Yes, and I'm so sorry I kept it from you. I'm so sorry I couldn't have been more proactive, or stronger, or anything that could have given us a different ending."

"Eric, things are already getting better." Ariel nodded, feeling tears still bead down her face. "I forgive you."

She felt a sharp and strong tug back, as if there was a cord attached to the back of her navel. Her eyes bulged, and she looked up fearfully.

"Ariel, what's-"

Though she could have guessed the ending to his sentence, Ariel never heard it, as she was yanked down, through the ocean and great speed, feeling sensations she as unaware of until she landed, _thud_, on her back, in a stark white room.

…

"Miss me?" a familiar voice hovered over her as Ariel slowly adjusted to the blinding nothingness of everything around her.

"Huh?" Ariel mumbled.

"Oh, that's what they all say." The Soul sat the girl up, and Ariel noticed her tail had returned.

"What's going on? Please, I've been through enough." Ariel pleaded, weary.

"I know, darling. But you've done it."

"What?"

"You made the right choice. Your way out was to take the soul of the one who has wronged you the most. Wronged you the most being the one who let you die. That's Eric. But you forgave him, you let go of the anger and grudges even you weren't fully aware you were holding. Well, you were aware, but you harbored a lot more bitterness than you were willing to acknowledge. By forgiving him, he hasn't wronged you, and you've essentially negated the spell. You found the loophole. You're free, and you may choose."

Ariel's heart and mind raced. "I can choose? You mean it? No kidding?"

"No kidding!" Purgatory Soul smiled. "You may choose which form is your true form, whatever it may be, and you will live out a natural lifespan in it. You're mortal again, and will fall in line with that species."

Ariel bounced a little. "Human, I want to be a human! With Eric!"

Sensation rippled through her tail again, like small tickles, and her tail split into two legs. The world spun around her and Ariel felt herself dissolving, crying "Thank you! Thank you!"

…

She landed on the beach again, naked as a newborn babe. Eric noticed this quickly and grabbed a nearby drying sail to give her something to wrap around herself. Ariel laughed at the sight of herself, at the return of the sail, and just because she was _free_!

"Eric!" she pulled herself up, throwing her arms around his neck and pulling him tight.

"Are you okay? What happened? You just-"

"It's done! It's done!"

"What do you mean?"

"I broke the curse! I forgave you for everything, and that means you don't qualify! It's a loophole, a nuance, but enough! I'm free! We're free!"

"Ariel, this is wonderful!" Eric picked her up and spun her around, gathering her back into his arms and kissing her.

Ariel ran her hands down her body, feeling how this was permanent, absolute, and _hers_. Totally hers, without limit, asterisk, or curse. She had _earned_ it, is was not given to her, and she could now do as she pleased. "This is so strange, so new, but I like it." She smiled so wide she could feel it in her temples. Reaching for Eric's arm, she smiled. "Let's go to the lights."

Eric chuckled. "Let's get you a dress."

Ariel blushed. She had forgotten. She ran up into the castle (she had missed it so!) and flopped down on her bed. Eric grabbed her a soft day dress the color of buttercream, and gave her a moment to change. Ariel opted for no shoes, appreciating the ability to walk on her own two feet.

The two lovers held each other as they walked through the festival, opening fireworks setting off and mesmerizing the former mermaid. Candles were lit until the sun would fully rise, and people were cooking all sorts of pastries and delicious morning treats. Ariel smiled and took a quick glance behind her. The sun was rising, purples and pinks in the sky. The waves glinted happily, almost bidding her goodbye, and wishing her well. The pushed against the sand, the only bridge between the two worlds she now held.

"It shines so bright, I want to keep this light." Ariel hummed softly, running her hand over a flame to appreciate the dry warmth of it.

Eric let go of her hand to slip his arm around her waist, drawing her in as closely as possible. "I'll share it with you always."


	16. Epilogue 1

6 MONTHS LATER

Ariel stood at the edge of a dock, jumping excitedly.

Eric laughed, a little nervously. "Careful there." He warned, taking her hand.

"I'm just so excited!" Ariel beamed. "Daddy should be here any minute!"

"Yeah, you haven't seen him in some time." Eric agreed.

"I've been meaning to ask him something anyway."

Triton arrived moments afterwards, and the group embraced, engaging in light small talk. When there was a natural lull in the conversation, Ariel asked. "Daddy, can you tell me how you met Mom?"

…

_He didn't expect her to seek him out, but maybe he should've. Maybe if he was less dense, he would've sensed her changing perception of him. But, alas, he had not, and was amazed to see Athena arrive at the palace._

_"I heard about what happened with your sister. I'm sorry. I heard you were next in line for the throne. Congratulations."_

_Triton smiled a little, rushing up to meet her. He moved to hug her, hesitated (would she be okay with this?) and then relaxed when she reached out and hugged him._

_"So…she just ran away?"_

_Triton didn't truly want his sister to be hunted down and killed, he just needed her to stay away. He would keep her secret. "Yes. I don't know where she could be, but she isn't here."_

_"I'm sorry, that must be tough." Athena said sympathetically._

_"It's not easy, but it's what had to be done." Triton nodded. "But I did keep my promise."_

_"And here was me, doubting you." Athena playfully quipped._

_"Well, if you'd care to pay me back, perhaps you'd be willing to go on a walk with me?"_

_Athena smiled a little, but took his arm. "And where are we going?"_

_…_

_Athena squeezed Triton's slim shoulders, beaming with pride. "Are you ready?"_

_"Does it matter?" It was his coronation day._

_"If it's any consolation, I know you'll be a great king."_

_"Two months ago, you wouldn't have thought that." Triton teased._

_"Yes, well that was two months ago. I've learned a bit more about you since then."_

_"Like?"_

_"Like you can do anything you put your mind to. Even when everyone else tells you not to bother. And even when it seems impossible. Even when, maybe, it should be."_

_"And I wish I knew more about you."_

_"You'll learn. All in good time." Athena started suddenly, and gasped. "The trumpets! It's time!"_

_…_

_Seven months had passed in their courtship, and Triton and Athena were collectively referred to as 'inseparable'. They walked the gardens together, went out into town, went to every royal event, and did everything under the waves, together._

_"I've thought of somewhere we haven't been yet." Athena said mysteriously one day._

_"Oh? Triton was more than willing to go on new adventures._

_"The surface."_

_"Isn't that kind of, uh, scary?"_

_"Triton you led a coo when you were sixteen, this can't be what gets you."_

_"No, no of course not. Let's go!"_

_He felt braver around her, empowered by her. They swam up, Triton holding her hand so tightly he didn't even notice she grasped his only loosely. Breaking the surface, she tossed her hair back and exhaled, laughing._

_"Isn't it wonderful? Look, have you even fully seen the sun set?"_

_Triton stopped, gazing at the beautiful colors set out before him. He hadn't. "It's wonderful." He stated simply, unable to do it justice. It had taken him so long to leave his world._

_Athena smiled, swimming over to a rock and pulling herself up. Laying back, she exhaled and closed her eyes, feeling the heat on her skin, on her tail._

_Triton paddled over and rested his arms on the same rock. "Athena, talk about yourself."_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"Just talk about yourself. We've spent months together, but I feel like I don't know even a fraction of what there is to know about you."_

_"I've spoken of myself. What's my favorite color?"_

_"Yellow."_

_"Favorite letter?"_

_"A"_

_"See? Two obscure little things, and you knew them without so much as taking a breath."_

_"Yes, I listen, I know." Triton sighed. "But I don't know what scares you, because it seems to be nothing. I know what you like, but I can' possibly know all of it. And I don't know how you're so…omnipotent. You seem to know everything, before anyone else."_

_Athena shrugged. "We have time, Triton. Just appreciate what beauty is around you."_

_Triton stared at her still. "Yes."_

_"Come join me." Athena patted the space next to her._

_"You know I love you, right?" Triton said, a bit nervous._

_"You say it often. I love you as well."_

_Triton smiled at this, almost instinctually. "Then marry me."_

_Athena sat up suddenly, holding up a hand as if to object and then laying back down._

_"Athena, I want to spend the rest of my life just trying to figure you out. Please, be with me. I love you so."_

_Athena rolled onto her side and fingered the pearls in her hair. "I love you, too."_

_"Then marry me. Please."_

_Athena's eyes flashed up at him, and she bit her lip, smiling an all-knowing smile. "How much time do you think you'd need to figure me out?"_

_"I'm not sure if I ever will."_

_"Would you be okay with that?"_

_"I'd be okay with anything, if you're with me."_

_"Then yes. I'll marry you, Triton. It would be lovely to spend the rest of my time with you."_

_Triton beamed and swept her into a tight embrace. "Darling, we have nothing __**but**__ time!"_


	17. Epilogue 2

8 MONTHS LATER

Ariel would never grow tired of waking up with sun on her skin, with dried-through hair, with warmth so permeating it was almost inside her.

"You up?" Eric slid into her room, huge smile plastered on his face.

"Yeah!" Ariel beamed, throwing back the covers and running her fingers through her hair. "What's going on?"

"Well, first you've gotta get dressed" Eric steered her with his hand on the small of her back. "Then we can go downstairs; they finished setting up for the ball last night!"

Ariel gasped. "Oh, right! That's today!" she disappeared into her closet and emerged only moments later, navy blue fabric swirling at her ankles. "Come on!" she grabbed Eric's hand and tugged him out of the room.

"Oh!" she gasped when she saw it, laying a hand over her heart. The theme was 'Out of the Sea', and Ariel and Eric would exchange knowing smirks every time someone said it. The ballroom certainly fit, with meshed fabric draped around large windows, looking of sea foam. Everything ranged in the colors of sea foam to deep sea lavender, and shells were strung together and hung around.

"It looks like it rose out of the ocean!" Ariel exclaimed, bouncing.

Eric smiled. "You'd be a good judge of that."

Ariel beamed at him, grabbing his hand, she pulled him down a grand staircase and out onto the floor.

"Oh, Eric, this is going to be wonderful!"

He pulled her close to him and the two began stepping the waltz, Ariel humming a melody of her own invention for them to dance to. Dancing! On her own two feet! Forever! With Eric! The sheer happiness of these facts, these experiences, had not faded since her return home, and there was absolutely no evidence insisting that she would ever not find joy in her own existence.

This was by no means Ariel's first ball, and she had attended gatherings and such as a human before; meeting dignitaries and ambassadors, dinner parties and the like. But this ball was special – this was when she would be introduced to society, announced as the woman being courted by Eric, and formally and fully entered into the human world, allowed henceforth to explore and embark wherever she pleased.

And, oh, she couldn't wait.

"So, who's going to be there?" Ariel looped both her hands around Eric's lower arm and looked up, stopping their dance.

Eric paused lightheartedly, over-dramatically squishing his face together. "Hm." He looked up at the ceiling as if thinking very serious, then back at Ariel. "Everyone."

"What do you mean _everyone_?"

"I mean we invited hundreds of people, and not a single invitation was refused. You're gonna make a lot of new friends tonight, Ariel."

She smiled so wide she could've popped right open. "What a wonderful world."

…

Ariel had been fussed over for almost five hours, and it showed. Her gown was as bright red as her hair, which was done up intricately with pearls woven throughout. She was snapped at periodically, as she found it hard to stay still and avoid the pin pricks, but she was pulled together beautifully nonetheless, and couldn't wait to debut.

Ariel drummed the fingers she had properly placed on Eric's forearm. "Promise you'll introduce me to everyone you see?"

Eric smiled. "I won't have a choice – you aren't leaving my side tonight."

Ariel smirked at this.

Eric straightened up just as the announced finished declaring them "-presenting, Prince Eric, and his consort, Miss Ariel."

Ariel held her head up high, looking out at the hundreds upon hundreds of faces, smiling, clapping, welcoming her. She and they were not so different. She had waited so long to meet them.


	18. Epilogue 3

1 YEAR LATER

"I want to go back."

Ariel didn't really elaborate, but Eric knew exactly what she meant, and he didn't like it. She had rushed into his room in the early hours of the morning, flopping down onto his bed and rolling into his sheets.

"Come with me."

Eric rolled over to his side and looked at her. "Ah, good morning! Darling, how are you?"

"Good morning Eric I am fine How are you Glad to hear it Lovely day we're having." Ariel said quickly, a bit of twang in her voice. "I want to go back."

Eric bit his lip and sighed, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. "Get dressed. Let's go."

His heart and stomach seemed to flip in tandem, and he wondered if Ariel's were doing the same. Of course they weren't. Would it kill, erm, would it really be so hard for that girl to maintain any sense of self-preservation?

"Eric, you look pale as a sail, are you okay?"

"Little nervous, yeah." He chuckled.

"You've been teaching me how to swim for months now, I'll be fine. Plus, you'll be there."

"I will."

Eric's heart dropped as Ariel pounced into the water, paddling out to the fateful rock. Could she at least slow down? But Eric was right behind her, always no more than an arm's length away.

"No, but here's how it works." Ariel explained in between deep breaths; the water was getting deeper. "This used to be a very nice rock, this is where I perched after I saved you, were I stayed to make sure you were okay. After I smacked my head on it, it became a very bad rock, and it had all the memories attached to it. If we go back, and nothing bad happens, it can be a good rock again, and all will be well.

"We can do that." Eric nodded, standing on his tip toes to keep his head above water.

Ariel rested her hands in natural grooves of the rock and hoisted herself up, plopping down on the top of the rock and looking out at the beach, sighing. Eric shimmied up to join her.

"How are you feeling?" Eric asked.

"A little anxious." Ariel stated, not making eye contact with him. "But it's going away."

Eric threaded his fingers through hers and they looked at the beach together.

"You know," Ariel sighed. "I'm not happy all of this happened, but it has made me happier to be here, and be with you Eric. I'm very lucky, in some strange way. I'll tell you a different time, but when I was the Sea Witch, there was a young girl I helped, and she was not nearly as fortunate as we are. We're very lucky. I love you a lot, you know that, right?"

"I've never doubted. I love you too, Ariel." Eric shifted a little, looking at how perfectly the sun glinted off her wet skin, and feeling how perfectly he molded into her side. "Ariel, I didn't plan on doing this now, but I wanted to ask you something."

"Oh?"

"Would you marry me? I promise I-"

Ariel kissed him quickly. "You've keep all the promises you speak, I trust you to keep the ones you think. I will marry you, of course."

"Well, all right!" Eric exclaimed pulling her in as tightly as he could. She laughed and wrapped herself around him, kissing his cheek, his ear, his neck. She loved him!

…

The people left the reception in pairs, in small groups, in little friendships of four or five; groups that had expanded just enough to include Ariel. They bid the bride and groom goodbye, who would stop dancing long enough to hug, shake hands, and kiss cheeks.

Eventually, by the wee hours of the morning, the boat had emptied out. The sun was inversely peeking out over the horizon, and the boat would set sail on their lavish around-the-world honeymoon in a few moments.

Ariel looked over the balcony, down at the sea that was lapping at the shore. She started when Eric moved behind her, and grabbed him forearm with both her hands. "Follow me!"

Eric laughed, stumbling a little as he tried to match her pace. "I don't really have a choice!"

They rand down, off the boat, and with a joyful screech, Ariel launched herself into the water, dress billowing up to the surface. She sprung up after, taking a gasping breath, and laughed as she pushed her hair back and her dress down. There were a lot of layers, and it was getting heavy, but the water was shallow and she was strong.

Eric hopped in just seconds after she did, paddling over to her and towing her about the water. Ariel rolled onto her back in order to float, and laughed at how funny Eric looked. She stuck her foot up in the air, satin slipper still on it and covering her toes. She kicked it off and wiggled them, beaming.

"Hey, watch out!" she smiled. "You're gonna run into that rock."

Eric checked over his shoulder and smirked a little. "Eh, wouldn't hurt me."

"You're probably right." Ariel smiled. "It's a very good rock."

"Highnesses!" a well-dressed man called from the deck. "The boat is departing soon!"

"What, is it gonna leave without us?" Eric laughed, waving an acknowledgement to the man.

"Probably." Ariel nodded. "Who do you think you are Eric, the prince?"

He smiled at her, and the two waded onto the shore, collapsing into the sand.

"How do I always get washed up on this beach" Eric mumbled.

"Third time's the charm!" Ariel piped.

Eric pulled her up to her feet. "That's true. Never expected to land here with you. Wanna head back up?"

"Let's get going!" Ariel tugged at his arm again. "We've got a big adventure waiting for us!"

Eric slid an arm around her waist and the two lovers dripped and plodded back up to their boat, the sun finally fully up in the air."

"Ariel, we have a whole lifetime of those waiting for us."

**That's all, folks! Drop a review if you liked it, feel free to review/send a message if you have any other ideas, thoughts, or fic requests! I always love hearing from y'all **


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